When the Dust Settles
by Pakmai
Summary: Two months after Skyfall, Q changes. He ceases to be the happy man everyone has gotten to know. Bond and Eve are his only friends, so Eve interferes a bit. When Q and Bond are forced to go looking for flats together, Bond makes an unexpected suggestion. What is in store for the Quartermaster and 007 as they become closer friends? OOQ, James Bond/Q.
1. Chapter 1

**Nothing about James Bond belongs to me. I am merely borrowing the characters. :)**

**This is yet another idea I had during work and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. And it has turned into more than a one-shot once again. I don't seem to be able to write one-shots very well, lol. I hope you all enjoy it!**

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Despite their age differences, Q and 007 got along rather well, much better after the new Quartermaster helped with the Silva situation. There is a trust and a connection there. They even became tentative friends. And at first it even seemed like Q was happy, he always came into the office with a small smile on his face, pleasant to his employees, with a quick wit and comeback for every one of Bond's quips. He didn't exactly strive to leave early, but he didn't make excuses to stay either. His easy attitude meant that while he kept himself a bit distant from most, he made friends with Eve and Bond, even if the friendship - which is more like a truce - is more tentative with the mysterious 007.

Unfortunately nothing lasts forever, and two months after the young man is promoted to Quartermaster of MI6, the mission load gets a little heavier, and more demands are put on Q's time after they somewhat recovered from the loss of the old M, and settling into some of their new accommodations, though some renovations are still going on. Q starts to seem less happy in the morning, and one day he comes in before any of his staff, and no one sees him out of his office until noon, even if they know that he's inside because his lights are on but the glass is opaque. That usually indicates that Q is working on something sensitive and doesn't want to be disturbed, or he is working on a project. When he finally emerges, he looks tired, and a little distraught but no one questions him. Everyone has tough times afterall and none of them are on a good enough terms to think they can pry into their Quartermaster's life. Once they stop seeing him come in, in the morning, or leave at night, they start to get worried.

Q's second in command, R - a bright young man who knows how to make a lovely cup of tea, looks good in a suit and knows his computers - takes the initiative. Bond is out on a mission so he approaches Eve with his concerns about his Quartermaster, asking her not as a subordinate about his boss, but asking Eve as a person concerned about another person. He doesn't consider himself Q's friend, but he does care about his boss' well being. And maybe he has the tiniest bit of a crush on him, but that would be unprofessional, so he never lets even an inkling of his unprofessional admiration shine through.

Hearing all of this from R and knowing that the younger man would not approach her if it isn't worrying, she reassures him that she will go down and talk to him. And so she does, picking up some of his favorite danishes from the shop down the road on her way in, and bringing one of the frothy mocha latte's she notices he occasionally treats himself to. Her code overrides his door and she slips in, smiling at the young man behind the desk. Luckily not many people are in this early, and it worries her a little that Q is, since he never was before. "Good morning." She says as she puts the take away cup and the paper bag down in front of him. A small glance around the office has her concerned one she sees a box of tissues that wasn't there before, and the tired, somewhat depressed look of the young man in front of her. Everything clicks together and she sighs, face shifting to a more sympathetic expression. "Oh, Q..." She says softly, before perching herself at the edge of his desk. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks in a concerned tone as she continues to watch him.

"Thank you, Eve." Q says almost absently, not looking up at her from his desk, glancing at the pastries with disinterest but he does reach over and pick up the cup, putting both hands around it as if to keep them warm before he takes a tentative drink, letting out a little sigh. "Bloody spies." He mutters, though it's surprisingly good-natured. "Do I want to know how you knew about this?" He asks as he indicates the cup. Knowing he needs to eat something, Q finally reaches into the bag and pulls out one of the danishes, picking little bits off of it and eating them slowly even if his stomach churns a little at the food.

Realizing that he is not going to get out of this 'meeting' without talking, Q runs a hand through his already messy hair and sighs, staring at the danish as he continues to eat it. "I was.. dating someone, did you know that?" he asks, glancing up at even for a few moments. "Well.. I was living with him, as well. I was so glad when he wasn't considered a security threat when I started working here at MI6." He says softly as he gives Eve a little glance, then focuses back on his food, it's easier to talk when he doesn't have to look at her. Taking a slow, deep breath, Q is rather proud of himself when his voice doesn't break. "A week ago, I went home earlier than usual, I was happy that I would be able to surprise him. And there he was.. with someone else. In our bloody bed. I didn't see it coming at all. I kicked him and his little rent boy out, packed up my things, very narrowly decided not to burn the flat down, and moved out that night. I do admit to calling for an MI6 driver to help me get my things out of the flat. I spoke to M about it so he could take it out of my pay, I didn't have any other way to securely move my things." He explains, then he shakes his head a little. "I.. thought things were going well. But who was I kidding? Things never go well for me for long." He says as he lifts the cup to his lips again to take a drink of the sweet coffee, staring at it and trying not to look as pathetic as he feels right now. He takes a slow, deep breath. "I'm sorry, Eve. You can assure M that my personal problems will not affect my work." He says as he finishes a pastry and then sets the plate aside so he can get to his keyboard, trying to go back to his coding problem.

Sighing a little, sadly, Eve puts a hand on Q's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Q. It's hard, maintaining a relationship and still working here. But he sounds like a bloody sod and you're too good for him anyway. Have you found a place to stay?" She asks, a little worried about the young man who has been through so much and yet didn't think to talk about it to anyone, he's just been taking the burden on himself.

With a vague motion, Q indicates the two suitcases that are sitting back by the wall, previously unnoticed. "Everything else is in storage. I've been staying here, sleeping on my couch, using the showers. Perhaps I should have checked into a hotel, but I have too much to do, I haven't been able to be bothered. Perhaps I'll merely continue living like Bond, out of my suitcase without a place to call home, it would keep me from having to look for a new one." he says with a little laugh, but there's no humor in it. A heavy sigh follows as he picks out the other danish, his stomach now making him realize that yes, he is very hungry, thank you very much, and when was the last time he ate, anyway? He can't seem to remember.

"No. You absolutely will not." Eve says firmly, not about to let the young man start living a life like that, or become so incredibly jaded because of one jerk. "You know, 007 should be back from his mission today. Maybe you two can go look at flats together. Since you both need one, and despite appearances, I think he will be quite sympathetic if you told him." Eve smiles, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Give me a call when you're ready for lunch, alright? My treat." She says before she leans over and kisses the top of his head, seeing Q very much like a younger brother she never had. She also mentally resolves to make the cheating boyfriend's life a living hell once she finds out exactly who it is. Leaving the younger man to his work, Eve returns to her desk, and already starts pulling up listings of 'approved' flats and houses in the area, figuring that she should at least get a list together for the two of them and set up some appointments so that they can't back out of it. What Q needs is a few days off and something to distract himself, and this sounds like just the thing. Plus she knows that M will insist Bond take a week off after this last mission, minimum. It will be good for the both of them, she decides.

Q spends the night in his office again, using the showers in the locker rooms to at least get himself cleaned up and presentable, taking the time to drop some laundry off at the cleaner's before he returns with a large tea and a few pastries. He did manage lunch yesterday with Eve, but he forgot about dinner so he became quite hungry this morning. The memory of yesterday's danishes went a long way to convince him to stop by and pick up a few more. They're sugary, and fatty, and no one questions it or even tells him how unhealthy they are because the minions all agree that their boss needs to gain some weight. When he gets back to his office, it's to find a certain double-oh stretched out on his couch, a box on his desk. "Good morning, 007." he says calmly as he goes and puts everything down on his desk, and opens the box Bond brought his things back in, sighing a little. "Sometimes, Bond, I wonder if you are trying to deliberately blow my budget." He says as he looks at the broken bits of the equipment.

Making a small sound and then slowly sitting up, Bond looks over at Q, still looking impeccable in a crisp gray suit, a few scratches showing on his face but otherwise seeming to be relatively uninjured. "My dear Quartermaster, I made extra sure to come back uninjured, isn't that enough? Your equipment was an unfortunate sacrifice to that goal." He says as he walks over, invading Q's personal space a little as he perches on the edge of the desk, one leg resting on top and the other lightly bracing itself on the floor.

A small sigh is given, and Q slides one hand under his glasses as he rubs his eyes. "I am glad to see you back uninjured, Bond. For once. However, I would appreciate if you could do both." He says quietly in a rare moment of honesty before he lowers his hand, scratching his cheek before he sits down in his chair.

And now Bond knows that something is wrong, because Q is honest and doesn't have a witty comeback or some snide comment to make. A small frown crosses his face, and he sighs. "Eve tells me she arranged for us to look at some flats." He says quietly as he looks at Q, trying to lighten the mood a little. "M approves, so I'm afraid there's no getting out of it." he says casually as he looks over at the desk of the younger man, noticing all the little differences from the last time he was in there, starting to formulate a hypothesis about what happened, and the conclusion makes him frown briefly.

Knowing that there's no getting out of it, and that he cannot even use work as an excuse since R is more than capable and it has been inordinately slow recently, Q sighs a little, and he nods, holding a tablet out to him. "This is the list of houses and flats she has arranged for us to go look at. I have no bloody idea why we have to go alone, but the agents are all expecting us both. I quite got the impression that if we did not show up together, Eve would know about it. From the sound of what you just said, that would get both of us into trouble with M. How unfortunate." He says before he adds, "I imagine you'll want to drive, and I have at least a few hours' work that I want to get done before we go. Please go occupy yourself until then." He says wearily, making a dismissive wave with one hand.

Smirking a little while accepting the tablet, James nods a little. "I'll just wait over here, then and peruse our choices." He says as he walks back over to the couch and puts his feet up on the coffee table before starting to flick through the list that Eve provided them with. A part of him is intensely curious about the young Quartermaster. Knowing that he is more than capable from having Q in his ear on missions, 007 is nonetheless curious about the young boffin. He is very young, and very mysterious. They have banter and if he's not mistaken, a little flirtation over the comm, but it's so hard to tell. Normally he can tell if someone is interested in him, but the only flirting that ever seems to happen is when Bond is halfway around the world with only the posh, precise voice in his ear.

For a few moments, the agent allows himself to look at the young man with his tousled hair, cardigans and slim pants. Q is intelligent, competent, normally with a sharp with that keeps Bond on his toes. Never one to judge a person based on their gender, James has to admit that he is intrigued physically about the slim man as well. He is, however, more than content with a friendship with him, or whatever it is that has formed between them in the last few months. Finally, he turns his attention back to the tablet, pushing those thoughts back for another time. At least this will allow him to know a little bit more about the boffin, even if it's just about the places he likes to live.


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours later, true to his word, Q finishes everything up, shuts down his laptop and leans back, stretching his arms above his head, back, shoulders and fingers popping before he relaxes with a small groan, one hand moving behind his neck to give it a rub. Before he really registers movement, he feels warm hands brush his own aside and then start to rub the back of his neck and down over his shoulders. Completely without his permission, a groan is pulled from him, and his head drops forward slightly as a small shiver runs down his spine. "Bloody hell, Bond, that feels amazing." He says with a little sigh as he relaxes.

"You need to take breaks more often, or you're going to start suffering serious pain. This is purely selfish, I assure you. I need my Quartermaster in top shape." Bond says quietly, having moved without thinking when he hears how the brunette's back popped. And now he's got his hands on the slim shoulders, and there isn't anything sexual about it. He honestly just wants to do something nice for Q, which is a new thing for him, but he supposes that's what friends do for eachother. The only other person he might be able to consider a 'friend' is Alec Trevalyn, but he wouldn't consider doing anything like this for the other double-oh. There's just something about Q that makes him seem young and vulnerable, someone who needs protection.

"Yes, who would give you new equipment or make sure you don't do something monumentally stupid?" Q says with a little smirk, but he still relaxes into the touch, allowing the massage to go on for a minute longer until the knots in his neck are worked out before he moves away from the strong hands. And he is absolutely sure the only reason he can accomplish that is because Bond allows it.

Releasing Q when he moves way, James rubs his fingers together for a moment, still being able to feel the muscles under his hands. He learned something very important just now. Besides the fact that Q was incredibly tense, the younger man is much more muscular than he looks. Immediately he revises his previous assumptions. No longer does he think of Q as skinny and underfed, it appears instead that he's merely lean, strong muscles under his skin, even if he does appear a little gangly, the double-oh realizes that he's never seen the brunette move in anything less than a deliberate, graceful, coordinated fashion. Finally, he steps back and goes to retrieve the tablet. "Ready to go?" He asks as he buttons up his suit jacket, then goes to retrieve Q's jacket, holding it out for him.

Shaking his head for a few moments, Q finally gets up and puts his laptop in his bag with a few other things, then he goes over and allows Bond to help him into his jacket, putting his messenger bag over his shoulder. "I suppose we should get this over with." He says as he takes the tablet from the older man. "Did you put these in order?" he asks as he notices that they're in a different order than they were before.

"I don't know what you want in a flat, or if you'd prefer a house, so I just put them in order for the ones that I wanted to look at first." Bond says honestly, and sure it sounds a little selfish but it's also honest, he has no clue what Q might want in a home. But he's intrigued to find out.

"Of course." Q says with a nod of his head, arching an eyebrow. "I'm surprised. I didn't expect your tastes to be quite so... traditional." he admits as he looks at the first few, which appear to have a much warmer, traditional look. Warm colors, wood floors with plush carpets, wood paneling on the walls. Modern kitchens with marble countertops and rich wood cabinets, fireplaces in the living areas, and all of them having two or more bedrooms, which confuses Q. "Two bedrooms, Bond?" he asks skeptically.

Bond smirks, glad to have surprised his Quartermaster as he starts leading the younger man out of Q-branch much to the surprise and interest of the minions who have all gotten there sometime while they were in the office. Since no one saw either of them go in, it interests them all quite a bit. Ignoring them is an easy thing for 007 though as he leads Q to the lifts and heads down toward the garage. "You obviously haven't talked to Miss Moneypenny about me. I prefer some things to be more traditional." he says with a slightly suggestive tone to his voice. He really can't help himself, it's sort of his default setting. "And yes, two bedrooms. I was thinking of putting a gym in, perhaps." he muses before he shrugs, leaning against the wall of the lift as it ascends toward the parking levels.

Q hums in the back of his throat as he considers that, flicking through the flats. "It seems that we have something in common. You have excellent taste in many things it seems, Bond." he says with a slight smirk, feeling himself relax and not as tense as he has been in the last few days, his mind occupied with something other than the breakup. "Mm. I like having a work space in my flats as well. It helps me keep organized. Of course, since I became Quartermaster, I didn't need that as much. My work space is at work." He says with a slight smirk, stepping out of the elevator when the doors open, walking with James toward his car.

There is a plan starting to form in Bond's mind that makes him smirk a little, unlocking his Aston Martin to slide into the supple leather of the driver's seat. While he starts up the car, he tries to figure out how exactly to implement his plan. "Would you prefer a flat or a house?" he asks thoughtfully as he glances over at Q.

"A house would be ideal, especially if it had a garden. It wouldn't have to be big or extravagant. I would adore a brick house with a walled in garden." Q admits as he considers it for a few moments, tilting his head back against the seat as he gets comfortable. "What about you, which would you prefer?" he asks as he looks at the first few places that Bond selected, giving him directions to the first flat.

For a few moments the blonde is silent as he considers everything. "I have no real need for a house. It would be nice, I suppose, but not unless I had someone to share it with." He explains quietly as he glances at Q when he gets to a stop light. "And we both know how likely that is." he says with a little smirk before he takes a deep breath. "A flat would be fine if it was just me." he says quietly as he drives to the first place, looking around for a few moments and then frowning at the neighborhood.

"This is an approved neighborhood? Even I can tell that the security would be horrible. As your Quartermaster, Bond, I don't think I can allow you to even look at a flat here." he announces, sending a message through the site the tablet is hooked up to, letting the real estate agent know they won't be to look at it, then he gives the direction to the next place.

The next one is another flat in a much nicer neighborhood. Q hesitates before taking his laptop bag with him, tapping a few things on the tablet to find out more information about the place, idly following Bond in his peripheral vision as they go into the building, only looking up once they're in the lift. "I can hack into their security system from this tablet. It would definitely need an upgrade." He notes as he glances at Bond, showing him the tablet with a little smirk before he backs out of their systems.

"My dear Q... You are quite the little criminal." Bond teases, then he gently puts his hand on Q's lower back, pressing firmly against the curve of his spine to urge him forward once the elevator doors open, turning them down the hall and not removing his hand yet since Q is still looking at the tablet in determination. "Hello." Bond greets the female real estate agent who is waiting outside the door.

"Hello. I'm Rebecca Stantham.. You must be Mr. Bond." She says as she holds her hand out toward the older man, giving him a one-over with obvious interest in her eyes, her smile a little flirty.

Bond notices, of course he does, how could he not notice? But that sparks another thought in his mind, especially when he sees that the flirtiness has caught Q's attention and made the boffin look a little grumpy. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Stantham. Please, call me James." he says as he takes the hand with his free one, the other still resting on Q's waist, forgotten.

The hand on the back of his waist goes unnoticed by Q as well, forgotten when he sees the striking blonde in front of them. No doubt she gets a lot of her sales by looking good. Q hates her. Irrationally, perhaps, but he does. Since he seems to have been forgotten, he clears his throat, and says, "Quinn Boothroyd, may we have a look at the flat, Ms. Stantham?" He asks in a cool voice as he levels the estate agent with a look that has made more than one of his minions quiver.

Seeming a little flustered, Rebecca glances between the two for a moment before she sees the arm around Q's waist and she smiles in understanding. "Oh. Of course. Right this way." She says as she motions the way into the flat, starting to show them around, only to leave them in one of the bedrooms while she goes to take a phone call.

By this time, Bond has dropped the hand and has just been looking around, not having any intentions of taking this flat, he already has one in mind from the list. "What do you think, darling?" he asks in a casual tone toward the brunette as he looks around the room, since he seems to be rather buried in his tablet, digging for more information no doubt.

Snapping his head up in surprise at that, Q frowns a little as he looks at Bond. "Darling? Bond, what the bloody hell are you playing at?" he demands as he looks at the agent suspiciously. "I am not your 'darling', or any other term of endearment you may choose to use on your floozies." He says with obvious distaste, sounding a little annoyed.

"Calm down, Q. Just trying it out." James says mysteriously but with a slight smirk quirking the corner of his lips as he wanders around the room, then circles around behind Q, closer than he needs to be in order to peek over his shoulder at the tablet. "Anything I need to know?" he asks thoughtfully, seemingly unaware of his closeness but he does like winding Q up a bit.

A deep, long-suffering sigh is given from the Quartermaster, and he glances at Bond for a moment before he looks at the tablet. "It would be suitable for your needs perhaps. The electrical would not be sufficient for the sorts of security systems I would want to install. I would be afraid of causing a fire to be honest. Besides, the windows face the wrong way." he says casually as he looks down at his tablet.

"Mmm. You're right. I didn't like it much either. That's settled. Shall we go?" James asks as he moves away from Q, turning to head toward the door, stepping out into the hallway before he turns back to wait for Q, gently putting his hand on Q's back again, trying not to grin.

"Very well." The young boffin says as he heads out of the room and toward the front door, sending a message to two of the other places saying they won't be there because they are very similar to the one that they are in. When he feels Bond's hand on his back he shoots the agent a suspicious look. "Unhand me, Bond." he says in a cool tone as he gives the older man a disapproving look. He will not allow himself to be manipulated.

Pulling his hand back and holding them both up in surrender, James smiles a little. "Very well, Quartermaster." he says quietly before he puts his hands in his pockets and walks back out to the car with the younger man, settling down into his seat. "I had a thought, Q." He says as he starts the car, listening to it purr.

"Well, that's rather dangerous for you, 007. I didn't think your type was supposed to think, isn't that my job? To think for you, and let you know the optimum route? Of course, you never listen to me, so perhaps I should just put aside that delusion." Q says in his usual tone. It's soft, slightly amused and maybe a touch playful, but definitely still posh and a bit arrogant perhaps, but it somehow suits him without being obnoxious.

"As you've no doubt discovered, I am quite fond of independent thought." James points out with a little smirk, having always enjoyed their banter, no matter the situation, and he often goes down to Q branch jut to try and catch the man off-guard. "And yes, this is a rather dangerous thought." He says as he considers it, starting to drive. "I think we should become flatmates." He says casually as he drops that bomb. "I don't spend much time back here in London, and in case I were to go missing again it would prevent them from selling my stuff and my flat. It may even give me a reason to want to come back. Which is the real reason that MI6 wants me to get a flat, they're afraid that if I don't put down some roots, I'll take worse risks and get myself killed." he says quietly as he considers it, "Not to mention, I could help protect you when I am back in London." And yes, he knows that this could be monumentally stupid, and more dangerous than he could be foreseeing. At the moment it seems perfectly logical though. Not only that, but it would give him a reason to learn more about the mysterious Quartermaster, something that he wants more than anything else right now.

This day is going to give him whiplash, is the first odd thing that passes through Q's head as it snaps up again to stare at Bond, narrowly avoiding gawking at him, open-mouthed, in surprise. He keeps his mouth shut, but the shock on his face isn't any less obvious. Lifting one hand to adjust his glasses, Q's brilliant mind works through the pros and cons of this suggestion even while most of it tries to just get through the haze of shock. When it finally settles, Q almost finds the idea too intriguing to give up. He's not sure he's ready to live with someone again, but at least this would merely be a platonic relationship. It is, afterall, his job to do whatever he can to assist the double-ohs and bring them home safe. And if getting a flatmate in the process is the only way to ensure that 007 takes less risks, and comes home, then he can really only provide one answer.

"Well. Alright, then."

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**Well, there is chapter 2! I am not sure how often I will be updating this. Right now, quite often probably because the idea is stuck in my head and I can't seem to shake it. :) This one will be a bit different than my other stories, more snark and friendship for the moment. Poor Q is still recovering from his broken heart afterall!**

**Please let me know what you think, reviews/comments are great motivators, and I really want to know what you guys think of this, if it's absolute rubbish, or if it's interesting to anyone but me. :) Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

That was a little easier than Bond was expecting, and he finds an empty parking lot to pull over in, so he can look over at the younger man beside him. "That's it?" He asks, skeptical about how easily the boffin gave in since he expected more of a fight.

With an almost exasperated look, Q looks over at the man beside him, his fingers pausing over the tablet. "I am a very practical man, Bond." he says in a cool tone. "Your argument was quite logical. You need someone to keep you from drinking yourself into an early grave. Something to give you a reason to come back to London. In other words, you need a home. I am your Quartermaster, 007. And I am most likely the closest thing you have to a friend other than 006. Which means it's my responsibility to look after your well-being, and make sure that you get through your missions safely. Providing for your mental health logically seems the next step to that. I often have late hours as well, so even when you are in London, it's not as if we would be spending a great deal of time together." Still not understanding Bond's surprise, he turns back to his tablet and adjusts his glasses a bit. "It seems we can eliminate quite a few of these choices, since we will need at least two bedrooms, preferably two bathrooms." he says with a sideways look at Bond. "Perhaps we should look for houses rather than flats. A basement could be converted into a workshop and a gym, and then another room could be a study.." he says as he looks through the options.

Looking more and more amused when Q starts talking, James ends up chuckling. "Very logical, Q, of course." Before he reaches out and plucks the tablet from the younger man's capable hands, flicking through until he pulls up the one he saw earlier. "Ironically enough, it matches some of your specifications. Eight foot security fence. Garden. Two stories, Three bedroom, two full baths, study, sitting room, kitchen.." He says as he reads it off then hands it back to Q. "Large bathroom upstairs, but the catch is that two of the bedrooms share that bathroom. As in, there are adjoining doors." For a few moments, Bond looks quite smug that he already found something like that, "Between the two of us, we could afford it." He notes thoughtfully as he turns back to the wheel to start driving toward that address.

With skeptical, slightly raised eyebrows, Q accepts the tablet back and looks over the entry that Bond had brought up, flicking through the poorly taken pictures. "Ironic, indeed." He says before he gives Bond a suspicious look. "How long had you been thinking of proposing we be flatmates?" He asks suspiciously, watching Bond drive before he looks back at his tablet, starting to look up other information about the house from other sources.

"About since we left MI6." Bond says with a small shrug, unapologetic. "I found that house before that. Even I can put two and two together, Q." He says with a bit of amusement, continuing to drive, seeing a suspicious number of green lights coming their way. "Q, are you hacking the stop lights?" he asks, a little surprised and glancing over at the genius beside him.

"I admit to nothing." Q says casually, but there's a small quirk of his lips that indicates he might be doing something terribly illegal. Not that anyone could catch him. "It seems you're going to keep me on my toes. Though I should warn you, I am not a morning person." He warns quietly as he looks up at the street, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Though I am a rather heavy sleeper. Thankfully, I have been informed I don't snore." He says before he shrugs, a small hitch in his tone as he says the last part, thinking about his ex for a moment, and he takes a slow, slightly stuttering breath as he tries to push those thoughts to the back of his head again.

Deciding that this is a good opportunity to ask, James still hesitates because it's an awkward question. "Why is it you're flat-hunting in the first place, Q?" He asks as he looks over at him, finally pulling up in front of the house, a nice, sporty little car parked out front as well that probably belongs to the real estate agent.

A small sigh comes from Q as he closes his eyes. He was hoping that this wouldn't come up. "I came home a few weeks ago to find my boyfriend in our bed with another man." He says simply as he opens his eyes, starting to unbuckle his seatbelt. "Needless to say, I wanted nothing more to do with that flat." He says in a cold tone, still considering causing his ex a major case of identity theft that will ruin his credit, if not his life. But he's trying very hard to be the better man.

"I'm sorry." James says as he looks at the man next to him, who has never seemed so young and vulnerable as he does right now. "Want me to take care of him?" he asks in a half-joking, half-serious tone.

A little, slightly bitter laugh is given before Q opens the door. "The offer is appreciated, Bond, but no. I am attempting to be the better man." He says before he gets out and looks around the neighborhood for a few moments, checking the location of CCTV cameras and everything.

Nodding a little, James turns the car off and gets out, locking it once both doors are closed, rounding the car to look over at Q. "Right. I'm sure you could do more damage to him in your pyjamas before your first cup of Earl Grey than I ever could, isn't that right?"

"Well, I can't kill him from behind my computer, at least not to immediate effect, but otherwise you're quite right." Q says, pushing his glasses up again and smirking slightly as he looks over at the older man, before he leads the way into the house.

This time it's not a very pretty girl, but a rather attractive, smartly dressed male real estate agent. He's a little cliché, with the pinky ring and the pastel pink shirt, but some people like that sort of thing. The man smiles pleasantly at them both, having a posh tone and very precise language. "Ah, you must be my next appointment. Mr. Bond, and..?" He trails off, smiling and looking Q over in an appraising way as he offers his hand to the brunette.

Q keeps his cool attitude as he takes the hand offered to him. "Quinn Boothroyd." He provides the fake name that MI6 has given him for occasions such as these. "Pleasure." he adds after a beat, then he looks at the house for a few moments, then he looks at James. "Well. Why don't you give us the tour?" He prompts, motioning toward the house.

While it may be the Quartermaster's job to protect his agents when they are in the field, when Q is at home, it is the agent's job to protect him, at least that's what James thinks. And seeing as Q is taking on his emotional well-being, he feels a little obligated to not let the boffin get hurt again so soon. Which means he frowns at the real estate agent as they pass him and into the house, putting a proprietary hand on Q's back while he keeps his body between the two.

"Before I forget, let me give you my card." The real estate man says, holding out his card to each of the men before him, not seeming phased by James' behavior. The name on the card says Ian Saltzman. 'Ian' smiles a little. "Now that that's over with, let's show you the house, shall we? It's got a full basement, and it's finished but only in the barest sense. Two full bathrooms, three bedrooms upstairs. Down here we have the sitting room, a study and library across the foyer and the kitchen in the back. There's a very nice patio in the back right off the kitchen, perfect for entertainment." he says as he leads them across the wooden floors into the study first, with a large bay window in front with a seat on it. It's the same as he leads them through to the library, with its bare built-in bookshelves. "As you can see it's a beautiful space, lots of potential. Put a few cushions on the window seat and it would be a perfect place to cuddle on cold, rainy London days." The man says with a little smile, glancing at Q for a moment.

James looks around at everything, considering the window placement, the privacy wall outside, size of the garden and what plants he can see there. When Ian mentions it, he can't help but glance at the window seat for a moment then at Q, picturing cuddling with the young genius which just makes him smile because he can't picture Q being the cuddling type, his brain is far too active for something like that.

The younger man moves away from James, walking along the walls, checking the outlets, peeking out the back window of the study before walking across the hall to poke his head into the bathroom. "This is quite an excellent space." He says as he looks over at James. "So far." he adds after a moment, glancing at Ian and adjusting his glasses. "May we see the rest?" He asks, so far completely oblivious of any flirting or bedroom eyes coming from Ian.

"Do either of you like to cook?" Ian asks casually as he leads the way across the hall along the back of the house, under the set of stairs that bisects the house, starting at the front door. "The kitchen has been recently modernized. All the appliances are new, it even has a lovely wine fridge." He says as he walks around the center island to motion to it beneath one of the counters. "Large fridge in case you like entertaining. And just through the swinging doors here is the living room, where you can have little gatherings or even just a night in, the two of you." he says with a little wink.

That seems to get Q's attention and for a moment he looks confused, then he sighs in exasperation. "We are not a couple. We are merely friends." He says dismissively as he looks around slowly, examining everything carefully.

"Hmmm. Well, it's not my place to judge." Ian says as he looks between them, glancing James over before turning his attention back to Q, moving a little closer to the younger man.

James stiffens a little where he stands beside Q, giving Ian a glare when he gets closer. Just because Q just said they aren't dating doesn't mean he can't be protective of his Quartermaster. Though he liked it better when this Ian assumed they were dating, it at least kept him at bay.

Leveling a gaze at Ian that Q has used on misbehaving minions before, the brunette shakes his head. "You're right. It's not. I don't believe we'll need your services to see the rest of the house, Mr. Saltzman. Thank you for your assistance." He says in a clearly dismissive tone, before he glances at James. "Lets see the upstairs to see if it will suit our needs." He says before he turns to head through to the sitting room, glancing at it before he goes back out and up the stairs, poking his head into one of the bedrooms before he goes into the one that has the adjoining bathroom.

"Nice closet space." James says as he looks around, wandering around the bedroom before he slips into the spacious bathroom, with a shower stall, but also a large tub set up a few steps off the main floor, surrounded by what looks like one-way windows. "Interesting." James says as he taps the glass for a moment, looking around and then turning back to two sinks, following through to the other bedroom which is identical, but one is in the front of the house and the other is in the back. "Suits my needs." He notes as he looks back at Q.

Looking around after James, Q follows him, peeking in the closets and then frowning. "I do not have enough furniture to fill this entire house. It's quite large." He says thoughtfully as he follows Bond through to the second bedroom. "I would prefer the bedroom in the back, but I do quite like it." The house isn't too large really, it's just that Q is used to smaller flats since it's just him in them normally. Having brought his tablet with him, Q looks at some other little details that MI6 has gathered on the house. "It's quite suitable for our needs, extra security would be easy to add in, I could put the server room in the spare bedroom or in the basement which would be easy to fix for what we need. Yes, I think this could be quite nice." He decides before he looks up at Bond to see what he thinks.

Having taken up an almost sentry position, standing next to a window and looking out at the front street, James finally turns his head to look at Q. "I'll take the front bedroom. We should have all the glass replaced with bullet resistant, at least on the second floor, it sticks up above the fence, which is a nice feature." He says before he watches Q, looking faintly amused. "As long as you don't mind sharing a bathroom with me." He notes as he nods toward it. "Otherwise it's suitable for my needs." He says, copying Q's words with a little smile. "Quite above them, actually. I have some furniture we can use, but it's in storage. You'll probably need more, though." He says as he looks around slowly. "Let an MI6 decorator take care of it. That's what they get paid for." He says casually, obviously not caring about furniture.

"I most certainly will not." Q says, sounding affronted. "I am not going to let some stranger pick out furniture for my home. You end up with rubbish that way." He says in a disapproving tone, frowning a little at James, fiddling around on the tablet for a moment. "Well, then. Shall we tell Mr. Saltzman, then we can leave and you can feel free to have the rest of your day back." He says casually, frowning briefly as he realizes it's going to be a while until he can actually move in. How disappointing.

"Oh, I don't mind giving up my day for this, Q. I quite enjoyed seeing you outside of Q-branch." he says with a little chuckle before he moves closer to the young man. "I do not like that real estate agent though." He says as he thinks about the posh man downstairs. "I believe he was entirely inappropriate."

"Ah, yes." Q says as he considers it. "He was rather.. interested." he says quietly as he thinks about it. "I'm afraid I hardly noticed at first. It's been a while since I.. played the field. I believe is the term." He says quietly, then adds, "If there is any particular equipment you want for the gym, please let me know so that I can have it ordered. Same for paint colors. I fear that it will be at least a week until we can move in properly, though as soon as I can get a bed in here, and the papers are through I plan to move in my meager belongings. I can only sleep on that sofa for so long." he admits, rubbing the back of his neck again.

Watching the man in front of him for a few moments, James nods a little. "You should have let me do a better job earlier, you were very tense." he points out, then stretches. "Well, let me know when I can move in, you know every way of getting a hold of me, I imagine." He says with a little smile. "Come on. Best we face the walking sexual harassment suit." he offers, turning Q toward the door by the shoulders, squeezing them gently before walking him out the door and toward the stairs.

Allowing himself to be walked out, Q can't help but laugh at that comment. "Pot. Kettle." he says as he glances over his shoulder at Bond, shrugging the hands off before they head downstairs to find Ian standing by the door. "We'll take it. Our company's real estate manager will contact you to finalize the details." Q says simply, finally shutting down the tablet and holding it at his side.

Ian smiles a little. "Lovely. You've got my card. Is there anything else I can help you with?" he asks with a definitely suggestive undertone.

"No." Q says flatly and firmly as he looks at Ian before he steps toward the door, pausing briefly to look over at the installed security system and he gives a derisive snort. "Rubbish." He mutters before he walks out to the car to wait for James.

"You need to learn to take a hint." James says as he looks at Ian, then turns and walks out, unlocking the car and then getting in. "I assume you will make all the arrangements." he says as he looks at his Quartermaster.

Looking up at the man across the top of the car, Q pushes up his glasses by the nose piece. "Of course, 007." He says before he gets back into the car, pulling out his phone to call a few people at MI6, making arrangements for the extra security measure to be installed, his boxes to be moved into the back bedroom, and various other things as they drive. "It will be 48 hours before the security is in place and the paperwork is finished." he concludes after the phone calls. "After that, we will be able to take up residence." He says before he sighs. "Blimey, I'm going to have to buy a new mattress. I do so hate shopping, but I a mattress is something I cannot trust anyone else with." he says thoughtfully, then he glances up at the road. "This is not the way back to MI6." He observes quietly as he looks around at everything.

Listening to the conversation that he can hear, James makes a decision while his Quartermaster is distracted, smiling a little when the young man notices. "No, it is not. Since we have the rest of the day off anyway, I know a place where you can look for furniture. Quality things, and given our similar tastes flats and houses, I think you might like this place." He says with a little chuckle.

Q looks at Bond curiously for a few moments, very skeptical about anywhere that James Bond might think is an appropriate place to buy furniture, but then again, considering where he grew up perhaps it won't be as bad as he's fearing. Still, his voice is heavy with skepticism when he finally does speak.

"I am not sure if I should be questioning the legality of this place you know, or wondering about your tastes."

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**These chapters will probably be longer than my normal ones, I'm going to try something a little different for this one. Maybe. I will try to update at least once a week, it depends on how things go. This is going to be a much slower buildup than any of my others. I hope saying that doesn't ruin it for anyone. :(**

**Let me know what you think, reviews/comments welcome!**


	4. Chapter 4

As it turns out, James Bond actually has rather good taste in furniture and the store is 100% legitimate. The building is large, two stories, split into sections but otherwise set up more like a warehouse. Unlike the box stores, the furniture sold there is sometimes old, but definitely solid wood and not particle board. Which is definitely something Q can appreciate. "Well. Aren't you full of surprises, Bond." He says before he pulls up the pictures of the house on his tablet and they make their way through the warehouse. MI6 most of the time will provide furnishings for a new house, or at least a budget for said furnishings, and Q gets paid rather well besides all that, so he has some money put aside.

By the time they finish going through the warehouse, they've chosen everything they could need for the new house. For most items, Bond allows Q to choose whatever he wants with no input, just trailing behind a little like a bodyguard, but he does make a few selections of his own, mostly when it comes to the bedroom furniture and the couch in the living room. Afterall, most of the time Q will be there by himself so he sees no reason to interfere.

During this shopping trip they are told that the house should be ready to move into in 72 hours, so they are able to give the place a delivery date and Q already puts in that he'll need that day off. Of course, he's informed, it may take a bit longer if they want to change the paint colors of the rooms, which Q knows he does, and that just makes him sigh. Oh well, he muses to himself, the delivery people will just have to put things in vaguely the right room and he will rearrange later.

Unfortunately all does not go to plan, because as they return to MI6 to sign the papers for the house, there's an international crisis that means Bond needs to fly off to Japan as soon as possible, and it brings Q back to his office in order to equip the double-oh and send him off on his merry way.

The morning after leaves Q in a grumpier mood since the couch decided to be lumpy and now he's got a crick in his neck that echoes all the way down over his shoulder. It makes typing annoying to say the least. Still, when his agent checks in, Q is there to answer the comms.

"Q, here." The young brunette here says as he hears Bond on the other line.

"Ah, there's those posh tones I was hoping for." Bond says with his usual mix of condescension and flirtatiousness that Q has become well accustomed with. "I'm next to the door you told me to go to, be a dear and open it, before I have to knock. I wouldn't want to have to lose any of your equipment again."

With a long-suffering sigh, Q frowns at his screens. "I am not your 'dear' or anything else, 007. Stay on mission." he scolds for what must be the millionth time. "And give us a sec, you should have contacted me sooner, I would have been ready for you." he says as he easily hacks into the building's security systems to unlock the palm-print coded door.

"I am on mission. I do like to keep you on your toes, Q." Bond says in a softer tone as he slips inside the building and heads along the corridors, following the directions that Q had given him previously.

Just to make sure that Bond is in no danger, Q hacks the security system, the cameras now following Bond down the corridor while the video feed just reflects the same empty hallway from the last hour. "Honestly, Bond, only you go on missions like these in a three piece suit." He says with an amazed sound to his voice, shaking his head again and sighing. "Wait. Stop right there, flat against the wall if you please, there's a guard coming. I would suggest disabling him quietly if you're able. He's not due to check in for another few hours, enough time for you to get in and out." He says casually as he hits a few more keys, looking at the five different screens that are up in front of him on the wall, the biggest of them showing Bond.

When the guard comes around the corner, Bond is exactly where Q told him to be, and he waits, then steps forward and gets the man in a choke hold, firm and fast enough that he doesn't have time to fight back, lowering him slowly to the ground. After making sure the guard is, indeed, still alive, 007 glances at the camera and smiles, giving it a wink. "Ah, I do so hate to rush my insertions." he says before he chuckles in a low tone.

"Oh, very good, 007. Your ability to turn everything in to a sexual innuendo continues to amaze me." Q says with a roll of his eyes, sounding relatively unamused as he keeps an eye on the screens, glad that he's at least not blushing. "Try to keep focused. I know it's difficult, but you need all the blood flow to your brain you can get, Bond." he says with a small shake of his head.

"I aim to impress, Q." Bond says, shifting his hold on his Walther as he turns a corner.

"Mmm. I doubt it. Otherwise you would bring home my tech." Q points out in a slightly scolding tone, before he pauses. "Take your next right, up the flight of stairs, then your second left. I'll have the door open for you when you get there, and then you'll need to use that USB drive that I gave you." He says as he keeps an eye on all of the other security officers to make sure they don't get near Bond, and he opens the door when Bond gets close.

Slipping through the door silently, Bond does as he's told and goes to the computer to insert the USB drive. "This is almost too easy." He says as he leans against the desk, watching the door just in case. "Well, while we wait.. how is the house coming?" he asks, glancing at the camera with a small smile.

"I am now being bothered at least once every two hours by an interior designer who has decided to argue with me over paint colors. I don't even know how she learned I had a house, I certainly didn't hire her. I suspect Miss Moneypenny is involved. I am very close to ruining the designer's credit score if she does not leave me to my work and do what I have told her and the workers." He pauses, then sighs. "While I have you on the line, you forgot to tell me what color you wanted your bedroom, if you wanted to paint it a different color, that is." Q tries to keep his voice quieter on this part to keep the minions from hearing that question. Or at least that's the hope. But the Q-branch employees are highly intelligent and they always pay close attention, curiously, when Q and Bond are on the comms together.

"Mmm. Something in the brown spectrum, natural. White walls remind me of hotel rooms." He explains with a little shrug. "Hotel rooms remind me of work." He finishes the thought before he turns to look back at the computer, waiting for Q's program to do its work. "Wait. You slept in your office last night again, didn't you? That's why you're so irritable today." He says before he frowns up at the camera. "Please tell me you've at least had a decent meal today." he says, checking his watch.

"I had a muffin at breakfast.." Q says slowly, clearing his throat. "And yes, I stayed in my office, I hardly saw the point in moving all my things to a hotel room when I'll be moving into a house in the next few days." Of course, he's hoping that Bond doesn't look too closely at the fact that it's now after noon. "Ah. There we are, we are receiving the data now." He says as he shunts off different parts to his minion's workstations, and Q-branch is suddenly filled with the clattering of fingers on keyboards. "You can take the USB out now, Bond. We'll take it from here. Off you go, back the way you came." He says in a happier sounding tone, though it's a little forced.

"Bloody hell, Q.. tell one of your minions to get you something to eat if you won't leave the office." Bond scolds, and then he heads out the way he came, not running into any guards. At least on the inside of the building. Once he slips out, it seems to be a different matter.

"Well, it seems you'll get to put your gun to good use afterall, 007." Q says coolly, ignoring the comments about the food, sipping his earl grey slowly. "Between you and the fence where you came in there are now four guards. I don't see a way around without alerting them, so it seems you'll have to go through them. Try not to get shot. The first two are ten meters ahead, at your 11 o'clock and one o'clock." He says in clipped tones.

Bond sighs a little and shakes his head. "Get some food." He growls before he heads forward, taking out the two guards efficiently before he heads forward, shooting the last two at Q's direction before he gets back to his car and speeds away. "Well, that got the blood pumping." He says as he continues to drive. "Rather sedate in the scheme of things. Hardly worth sending me." He says in a slightly bored tone. "Well, thankfully the hotel has an excellent bar. I think a drink is in order."

Making a small noise in the back of his throat, Q shakes his head. "You always think a drink is in order." He notes dryly. "Seeing as I have absolutely no desire to listen to you seduce whatever attractive girl you find at the bar, I think I will sign off." He says with a touch more annoyance than is strictly necessary. He just doesn't understand why Bond feels the need to inform him of his upcoming sexual conquest. He's not jealous. He has no reason to be jealous. Whoever Bond spends time with is his own business and Q hardly wants any sort of relationship right now, especially when his mind drifts back to the man he spent so much time invested in, only to be betrayed. "I'll see you when you get back. Equipment in one piece, if you please." He says, trying to disguise the slight hitch to his tone, and keep his composure,

But Bond is nothing if not observant, and he sighs a little. "Get yourself something to eat. Don't make me call Moneypenny. You will get all your equipment back, Q." He reassures, realizing it may not have been the best idea to talk about relationships in such a cavalier way when Q is going through his own pain. "I'll bring you back a souvenir, something nice, for the house." He offers, then he smiles. "See you in a few days, Q." He says before the comms turn off.

Leaning forward on his desk, Q drops his head and he sighs. "Start going through this information." He orders the minions on his left. "And would someone mind terribly, getting me something to eat from the cafeteria? I'd like to sit down for a while." He says as he glances around the room.

A younger girl from the back of the room pops up and she nods. "I will." She chirps, blushing before she turns to hurry out.

Q can't help but smile a little and he nods. "Alright, back to work!" He orders, then smiles a little when they obey, turning and heading into his office, feeling a little sleepy at the moment, so he sits in his chair and leans back a little, closing his eyes, not even realizing he fell asleep until the girl comes in with a tray of food and he jerks awake, smiling a little at her. "Thank you." he says as he runs a hand through his hair, having no idea how he might look, though apparently the girl appreciates what she sees because she stares for a moment, blushing and then turning to scurry out.

"Well, that was rather odd." Q says thoughtfully as he stares at the door, then looks down at the food in front of him, starting to eat and trying not to think about what a certain double-oh will be doing halfway across the world.

* * *

**My first time writing mission banter, I hope it's ok! This is just sort of filler and to have an excuse for Bond to bring back a souvenir for Q. :D The ex may be making an appearance in the next few chapters... because really, who would let Q get away if they thought they could have him back? He's too adorable!**

**Thanks for the reviews so far, very encouraging, I hope you continue to enjoy it! Let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

Three days later and Bond still isn't home, which surprises exactly no one. Q managed to wrangle two days off in a row in order to get everything settled with moving in, and the first day was just spent in ordering around moving men to bring things in and where to place them. And between the furniture and the boxes of his things that are brought over from storage, and the things that Bond has in storage as well, Q is thoroughly exhausted. The only thing that really gets unpacked are some kitchen things, namely the tea kettle, some dishes and his favorite mugs as well as his tea. He already got the cabinets and fridge stocked with food that won't spoil easily, including some wine and he stocks a small liquor cabinet that now sits in the study for Bond when he gets back.

There are still boxes unopened everywhere, in all of the rooms when Bond finally gets back from his debriefing only to be informed that his house is ready and his items have already been delivered, per Q's request. Still, he's interested to see how things turn out so he lets himself in after parking outside, already advised about all the security measures so he makes sure to turn them off before he starts wandering through the rooms, a little surprised at how everything is sort of haphazard, with boxes sitting everywhere and furniture at some odd angles. But the rooms are much more inviting now and James can't help but smile a little as he walks through them slowly, finally heading upstairs to see if the boffin is in. He stops at his bedroom first, eyebrows going up when he sees boxes in there as well as the furniture he picked out. Removing his jacket, he hangs it up in the closet along with the vest he was wearing underneath it, removing his tie and unbuttoning the top button of his shirt before he walks through the bathroom to lean against the doorway.

Q, ironically and perhaps predictably, is sitting on his bed, boxes half-open around him, some unpacked, some looking just like they were rifled through for something. And in the brunette's lap is a laptop which he's typing away furiously on, muttering to himself about incompetent fools ruining his day off.

James can't help but chuckle a little. "When you talked about being on your laptop in your pajamas, I thought you were kidding." He says as he looks at the younger man in his t-shirt and striped pajama bottoms. "And have you had your first cup of Earl Grey yet, Q?" he asks with a little smile, looking relaxed as he leans against the doorway between the bathroom and Q's bedroom.

Much to Bond's disappointment, Q barely reacts to the new voice. "No. Tanner woke me early this morning to try and fix one of the agent's cock-ups, and I haven't had the chance. Don't worry, it wasn't a double-oh, though I certainly do hope you checked in before coming here." he says in his normal cool, clipped tone, pausing for a moment to look up at Bond, adjusting his glasses as he gives the agent a once-over. "You appear to be in good shape, so I can only assume that you were not licking your wounds in Japan. Perhaps you were merely trying to irritate M." He says as he turns back to his computer, fingers agile and quick over the keys.

Not being able to help himself, James grins a little as he looks at his new house-mate. "Of course not. Double-ohs never make mistakes." He says playfully as he watches Q, nodding quietly. "I even brought all of your equipment back in one piece. In fact, ALL of my equipment is in working order." He says in a flirtatious tone.

A glance is spared to Bond just to gauge what kind of mood he's in, before Q snorts, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You made it a whole five minutes without a sexual innuendo, that should be a record." he says before he sighs, pushing his laptop away a little. "Finally.." he groans, slumping back against his pillows before he rubs his hands over his face tiredly. "I'm afraid you're going to have to move now, 007. I am afraid I quite need a shower now.

"Is the kitchen stocked?" James asks instead of responding to Q's jab, waiting for the slow, wary nod of affirmation. "Good. I'll make breakfast while you have a shower." he says casually as he unbuttons the cuffs of his shirt, starting to roll them up slowly. "I know how you get without your beloved tea, Quartermaster." he jokes with another smile before he turns away. "Someone has to make sure that you eat." he tosses over his shoulder before he goes back into his bedroom, closing the door to the bathroom quietly, removing his shoes before padding downstairs, unpacking several boxes of kitchen items until he finds what he's looking for, and he starts to work on a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and french toast, having several pans going at once.

"Well, this ought to be interesting." Q mutters to himself before he gets up and manages to unpack all of his clothes into his dresser and closet before he grabs what he needs to head into the shower and let the warm water relax the muscles of his shoulder and neck which had tensed up with the urgency that he needed to type out the code and commands that will fix the problems that were caused by an agent's incompetence. It doesn't help all the way, and he can't help but wonder if maybe he can guilt Bond into giving him another massage. Nothing wrong with that and it felt bloody amazing. Managing to wash his hair before he runs out of hot water, he gets out of the shower to shave and brush his teeth, skin steaming a little in the slightly cooler air.

Looking up when he hears bare feet on the wood floor, James smiles to see Q wandering in in a t-shirt and jeans which makes him look much younger than he does otherwise. "Maybe you're aging in reverse. I swear you look younger now than you did earlier. It's a bit not fair, actually." James admits thoughtfully as he brings over two plates of food to the little island that has bar stools at it, since that is the only place to sit down at the moment.

"Very droll, 007." Q says before he shakes his head slowly, walking over. "Who knew that great James Bond could cook?" he asks as he looks at the food warily for a moment before picking up his utensils. "Ohh.. and cook brilliantly, too.." he says as he starts to eat more, smiling a little when a cup of Earl Grey is placed in front of him by the double-oh.

Chuckling a little as he looks at Q, James just smiles and waits for his reaction before he, too, sits down to eat, pleased that he could make something the younger man likes. "Quinn isn't your real name, is it?" He asks, amused, having thought about that a lot during his mission, like a needle nagging at the back of his mind.

Feeling like he's just been blindsided a little, Q recovers and shakes his head slowly. "No, it's not my real name, It's the cover name that MI6 gave me when I took the position of Quartermaster." he says simply as he looks at Bond curiously. "Has that really been bothering you for the last four days?" This seems to surprise the boffin as he finishes his food, getting up to rinse off his dishes and put them in the dishwasher to be dealt with later.

"I didn't have much else to think about,." James admits with a small smile. "Besides, I did promise you a souvenir, and it took me a while to get something that I thought you might like." he says honestly as he watches the younger man for a moment, then finishes his meal, gets up and follows Q's example by rinsing out his dishes and putting them aside in the dishwasher.

For a moment, Q is a little startled, then he shakes his head. "Tell me you did not spend the last three days looking for a souvenir for me." he says in a flat tone, then he drops his head into his hand. "No.. of course you did. Because that's the ridiculous type of thing you would do.." he mutters, shaking his head a little again. "Well. As you can see, we have a bit of unpacking to do. Presumably you have a few days' leave if nothing comes up to demand your immediate attention." He says, pausing as his phone rings, pulling it out of his pocket to look at it. And it's a different phone than Bond would ever have seen him with before. "Personal phone." he says by way of explanation, hitting the 'ignore' button as he frowns slightly at it. "As opposed to my work phone, of course." He says by way of explanation.

Watching the young man carefully, James moves a little closer, curious as to who Q might ignore like that. "Someone you didn't want to talk to, I take it?" he asks as he shifts closer and tries to look at the screen but the phone turns itself off too soon for him to get a good look.

For a moment Q closes his eyes and then he nods quietly with a small sigh. "No, I don't particularly want to talk to him, why would I want to talk to the wanker who has been cheating on me for who knows how long? I don't even know why he would bloody well call me. There's nothing to discuss. It wasn't just a suspicion, I walked in on them. Having sex. Sort of a hard thing to dispute. And trust me, it was consensual." he says with a bitter tone to his voice, spitting out the words like they have a nasty aftertaste.

Stiffening at the mention of Q's ex, James flexes his fingers, wishing he had a gun or something to hit, narrowly resisting the urge to track the boy down and give him the beating of his life. "Why not just block his number?" he asks curiously as he watches Q. "Surely you could do that. He's probably just realizing his mistake in letting a catch like you get away." he says casually before he plucks the phone from Q's fingers, slipping it into his own pocket. "Now, then. Why don't we go about unpacking?" he offers.

Q frowns a little as he looks at James, spluttering for a moment as the phone gets stolen for him, then he says, "I am not going to dig into your pocket to retrieve the phone, so please return it to me." he demands as he holds his hand out again, demandingly.

"No." James says easily as he goes around to start unpacking boxes. "Of course, if you change your mind about digging around in my pockets.." He says playfully with a wink thrown over his shoulder at the younger man, enjoying the way those pale cheeks turn a rosy red. Deciding not to comment on that, James returns to unpacking, humming a little to himself while he does it.

Left to look like a fish, mouth opening and closing a few times, Q sighs and then glares a bit at the black of the blonde agent's head. "I bloody hate you, Bond." He says in annoyance before he goes over to unpack a few more boxes of kitchen equipment, placing it about the kitchen, some going into the cabinets others being put on the counter, depending on what Q thinks that he'll be using.

James can't help but laugh a little at that. "My, my, Q.. no witty comeback? You don't hate me. Otherwise you wouldn't have invited me to live with you." He says with amusement as he watches Q for a moment, moving behind him and blowing a puff of air into the younger man's ear.

The sound that comes out of Q's mouth when James does that is absolutely, most definitely not a squeak or a squawk of surprise. "I swear, James, if you don't cut it out, I am going to give you a bubble gun on your next mission instead of your Walther." He says with a withering glare sent over at the agent. Unfortunately he seems to be immune to such looks. Even if the average minion would be trembling in fear after that look was leveled at them.

But James just keeps on smiling, enjoying this interaction with Q, in a more normal setting without a dozen boffins surreptitiously keeping an eye on them. It's relaxing, and a bit domestic, but James knows where the boundaries are where that is concerned, especially since Q just got his heart broken. Finishing with a box and breaking it down flat before tossing it over to a corner, James struggles to find something interesting to say even if he is unrepentant about the rest.

"I did find you a rather amazing souvenir."

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**Whew, this one just won't leave me alone! Apologies if something doesn't make sense, I am sort of half asleep but I couldn't go to sleep until I finished this chapter, it wouldn't leave me alone. So here it is, hope you all enjoy a bit more lovely domestic banter. :)**

**Thank you for reading, let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

Resolving himself to having to deal with Bond being annoying if they're going to co-habitate, Q just sighs and runs a hand through his hair, finishing unpacking the kitchen boxes in short order. "Well, I do hope you aren't teasing, because I will be quite put out." He says before turning sharply to walk into the adjoining living room, sitting down near the TV in order to start hooking everything up, fingers moving deftly through the cords and getting everything set up in good order.

Somewhat amused by the young man's almost OCD behavior, James follows him and shakes his head. "Did you just have them toss this furniture in?" He asks in surprise as he looks at it, then shakes his head. Since his Quartermaster is working on the electronics, he puts himself to work moving the furniture around so it's arranged into a more suitably 'living room' configuration. Then he goes to look at the boxes, eyebrows going up. "Bloody hell, Q. How many DVD's do you own?" He asks as he starts to remove them from the boxes and put them on shelves, smirking a little as he imagines the brunette organizing them to his specifications later. For now, he just makes them alphabetical, because even he has some desire for order, and putting them willy-nilly on the shelves unsettles him a little.

Poking his head out from behind the television, Q pushes his glasses up, then he shrugs. "I've been collecting for a long time." he says, then adds, "And I am sure that I lost a few of my collection in the move because I wasn't sure if they were mine or his. I would rather leave the DVD than giving him a bloody excuse to contact me again." He mutters, his initial grief having turned to anger and bitterness at this point. "How are you organizing those?" he asks as he finally notices what James is doing.

"Alphabetical. I assume you'll reorganize them, but this will do for now." James says matter-of-factly, finding a box of his own things, adding his few DVD's to the collection, along with putting the few knick-knacks he owns around the room. A small frown is given as he pulls Q's phone out of his pocket, hitting the ignore button to stop the ringing. "Get the hint." he mutters at the phone before he slides the phone into his pocket again.

Q sighs a little and he nods. "Alphabetical is fine. And yes, he was persistent, if nothing else. It was the same way when we started dating. He approached me, you see." he says as he looks over at James. "I've never been good with people, I'm better with machines." he says as he finishes hooking up the TV to the surround sound, and DVD player, moving around to the front to program the TV, sitting indian style on the floor as he fiddles with the remotes.

James almost snorts, but he resists, glancing at Q for a moment. "You, Q? Not good with people? I hardly would have known, with how you deal with us double-ohs. And the fact that you are holed up in Q-branch almost all the time. I'm not exactly sure being head of Q-branch qualifies you for being good with people, since the people you rule over are just the same as you." he points out as he looks at the young man, smirking a little, then he looks down as Q's phone starts to ring again. "Oh for god's sake." he says before he answers it. "Hello?" He asks, one hand on his hip, annoyed.

The voice on the other end of the phone doesn't sound any happier. "Who is this?" He demands, then adds quickly. "Where is Damien?"

Looking up sharply when he hears Bond answer the phone, Q stares, frozen in place for a moment, before he hisses. "Bond!" In a scolding tone, glaring at him a little as he scrambles to his feet.

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, Bond can't help but grin just a little, mouthing 'Damien?' with raised eyebrows, in Q's direction, before he smirks slightly. "Damien.." He pauses over the name with a small chuckle. "Is unpacking, at the moment. My name is Bond. James Bond." He says simply, watching Q closely as he talks.

"Unpacking?" The man on the other side of the phone asks, his tone rougher without the clean, clipped, posh tones of his ex. "Listen, I don't know who you are, Mr. Bond, but I want to talk to Damien. So put my bloody boyfriend on the phone." He says, trying to remain calm, but his anger shows through in his tone.

"First. From how I understand it, you two are no longer dating. You are nothing to Damien." Bond says in a firm tone, turning his back on Q, his voice becoming darker, a little dangerous. "You gave up the right to claim any intimacy with him when you invited someone else to your bed while still pretending to care for him. I deal with a lot of scum in my line of work, but you are the lowest of the low. I suggest that you accept your own mistakes. Do not call this number again. Damien has no wish to speak to you, to see you, or even think of you." He nearly growls the last part, wanting to find this kid and beat him, show him the pain that he obviously put Q through.

Spluttering a little on the other end of the line, apparently trying to work up some sort of bravado, the voice sounds outraged. "You can't talk to me like that!" he says, sounding more like a petulant child than anything else.

"Do Not. Call Here. Again." Bond practically growls out before he pulls the phone away from his ear, punching the end call button before he frowns at the phone, trying very hard not to throw it at something.

"James..." Q says with a little shake of his head, looking down at the ground, sighing and rubbing a hand over his face. "As misguided as your attempt to protect me was.. thank you." He says finally, walking over to snag the phone back, not looking at the agent, in order to hide the slightly teary-eyed look, both because he was just painfully reminded of what happened, but also because James was really being quite nice.

Looking over at the young man for a moment, James considers and then puts his arm around the slim shoulders of the brunette. "You're welcome." He says quietly, giving him a little squeeze, a half-hug sort of, pulling back to curl his hand around the back of Q's neck for a moment. "Come on. We have lots more unpacking to do."

A small nod comes from Q as he fiddles with his phone for a few moments, then tucks it into his back pocket. He doesn't say anything about the sort-of hug, just clears his throat. "Of course. I'm going to go to the library, I'm sure you can find something to occupy yourself with in the study." He pauses. "Though I do think it's a bit too early to start drinking, so do try and resist." he says before he turns and pads on bare feet to the library to start unpacking his books, though he knows they won't even cover half the shelves that are built into that room.

"How about take away for lunch? There's a Chinese place that isn't too far away from here." Bond calls back toward the library as he goes toward the back door, opening it to look out onto the patio curiously before he goes back toward the study, eyebrows going up when he spots the liquor cabinet and the impressive array of very good alcohols. Pausing, he walks over to stand in the doorway between library and study, smirking a little as he makes a playful comment that is guaranteed to divert the brunette's attention.

"Blimey, Q, are you even old enough to drink that alcohol?"

* * *

**Bit shorter than my other chapters, but I hope you all still enjoy it. I think we can all agree that Q's ex is a bastard. So much so that I don't even think he deserves a name yet.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

Sighing a little and pushing his glasses up before he gives Bond another withering glare - something he's perfected since getting to know the double-oh - and then sighs a little. "Yes, Bond. As you well know, I am old enough to purchase alcohol, smoke, and view pornography." He deadpans as he continues to watch the older man, then he turns back to putting his books on the shelf, along with some knick knacks, taking the desk he purchased, for his own, and he finishes setting up the spot for his laptop and the desktop with the monitor on a swing arm. "Chinese sounds lovely, though we do have a fully stocked kitchen. I'll make dinner, since you were so good as to make breakfast." He decides, only halfway paying attention to his conversation with James, more concerned about his computer.

For a few moments, Bond's brain completely shorts out. Because the word 'pornography' coming from the boffin's mouth in those posh, clipped tones, has overloaded his brain. Because it brings up all sorts of other mental images of the younger man indulging himself, and the agent isn't quite sure he's ready to deal with that reality. It makes too many things seem possible. Slowly, he shakes his head to snap himself out of it, and he looks at Q. "Hm? Oh. You don't have to." he reassures, then considers for a few moments. "This is a bit easier than I thought it would be. Sharing a space with someone. Of course, it helps that we're not trying to figure out who hogs the bed." He says with a wink before he moves forward to break down some of the boxes, considering before he stacks them up in the hall.

"Yes, there is that. Though I have been informed that I hog the covers. I'm chronically cold though so I suppose that might not be surprising. I do, however, stay to my side of the bed, or so I've been told. I don't even snore." Q says simply with another little shrug of his shoulders, looking around and trying to make sure that he has everything where he want it for the moment. "I think I'm going to take a break from unpacking." He declares, "I need tea." he decides as he heads over to the kitchen, moving around easily as he starts to make himself a cup of tea. "Do you want me to start some coffee? I know it's what you prefer." He calls over his shoulder.

James nods a little, then realizes Q can't see him. "Coffee would be good, thank you." He calls back into the kitchen, then he carries some cardboard out to the curb before he comes back and leans against the door frame between the living room and kitchen. "It struck me that you know a great deal about me, Q, but I know very little about you. You're a mystery." he says thoughtfully, "I like this. Getting to see into your life." he says as he continues to watch the younger man, finally wandering in and finding a mug since the coffee is almost done.

Sipping his tea which is done by the time Bond's coffee gets done, Q just shakes his head a little. "I prefer to keep it that way, unfortunately, the world does often conspire against me, it seems." He says before he frowns, pulling out a second phone from his pocket to answers it. "Q." He listens, sipping his tea before he sighs a little. "You can't handle it yourself? Yes. Right. Fine. I'll be there in half an hour." He says before he punches the 'send' button on his phone with an angry motion. "And they wonder why I fall asleep at my bloody desk.. I try to have one day off. One." he says before he heads for the stairs, taking his tea with him.

A bit amused at the antics of the younger man, James nods a little. "I'll drive you. It'll be quicker." he offers as he drinks his coffee and follows the younger man up the stairs, splitting off to go to his own bedroom in order to change his rumpled and dusty clothes.

Too annoyed to argue, Q changes into his work clothes, tapping away on his phone with a slightly peeved expression on his face, only taking one hand off his phone at a time as he slides into his jacket, only to have Bond help him into it. "Thank you." he mumbles, using peripheral vision to head out and into Bond's car.

The ride to the building is silent but companionable. If there's one thing that Bond knows, it's how to read people, and he can tell that even the stoic Q is angry and frustrated so now is not a good time to ask questions. He has a feeling that the minions will be paying dearly for not being able to handle everything on their own. Rather than dropping him out front, Bond pulls into the parking garage and gets out, walking into the elevator with Q and riding with him to the correct floor.

Only when the doors open does Q look up and truly seem to realize where he is. "Ah. Thank you for the ride, Bond." He says with a nod to the agent, pushing his glasses up before he steps out and walks toward his branch, instantly switching to the in-control Quartermaster, master of his realm of Q-branch and the minions therein.

For a few moments Bond just watches him go, and then he steps out of the elevator right before the doors start to close, so focused on a certain brunette that he almost doesn't notice someone else approach until a thin, feminine arm is winding around his.

"Hello, James." Eve Moneypenny says in a smooth, flirtatious tone. "How are things going with our favorite boffin?" She asks playfully. "Are things settling into domestic bliss?" She asks with an arched eyebrow and a look of thorough amusement.

A small chuckle is given as James looks over at the agent-turned-secretary. "They would be better if his minions were able to give him a day off. His ex called today." he says before he frowns. "I confiscated his mobile and told the bastard off. He actually wanted to talk to Q, and referred to him as his boyfriend." he says, stiffening as the anger courses through him again. "I want nothing more than to track the bastard down and beat him to a bloody pulp for what he did." he says with a little frown, "At least Q didn't have to deal with him." he says with a nod of his head, as if content with that much.

Eve just laughs a little as she looks at MI6's most dangerous double-oh. "My, aren't we protective." She says quietly as she looks at him. "But I'm glad that you two are getting along and haven't already burned the house down before you've even fully unpacked." She watches Bond closely, trying to figure out how this rather odd arrangement will suit both of them. "I think this is good, you two living together, at least while Q is still vulnerable. He's not stable yet, though I would never say that to his face." She says after pulling James to the side so that no one can overhear their conversation. it wouldn't do for anyone to have doubts about the Quartermaster. Especially since they would be unfounded doubts. She doesn't think the young man is incapable of doing his job, she just thinks he has a habit of throwing himself into his work and that he's not being rational about his personal choices right now.

She doesn't need to explain any of that to James though. The agent understand, and he pats Eve's arm gently. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him, Eve." He says as he looks at her. "Between the two of us, we'll get him back to the man we know." he says before he nods toward Q-branch. "I'd better get in there, make sure that he isn't killing any of his minions." He says with a little bit of amusement..

Eve laughs a little before she nods, squeezing James's arm gently. "Don't worry, he may terrorize them, but he won't do them any lasting damage." She considers all the weapons and explosives available in Q-branch, not to mention how much damage Q can do on his own with just a laptop and internet connection.

"I hope. Perhaps you'd better get in there, afterall, 007."

* * *

**Uh-oh. Hope Q doesn't go on a rampage. They can't seem to survive one day without him. Much more of this, and M may need to get involved.**

**Hope everyone is enjoying this, I love imagining these two as surprisingly compatible house-mates. :) Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

It's later that night when Bond steps into Q-branch, intending to go home so wanting to see if his housemate needs a ride. Leaning against the door frame, he watches the younger man behind his laptop, the glow from the screen casting am eerie glow on his already pale face.

Clearing his throat to announce his presence while hopefully not startle Q, James steps forward curiously. "I came to see if you wanted a ride home. Planning a late night I suppose." He assumes by looking around at the messy desk and the concentration Q was giving his screen.

Glancing up, the young brunette just nods a little, sipping his cooling tea with a wrinkle of his nose. "Unfortunately yes." He says in a slightly peeved tone. "I've got to get this finished. Thank you for the offer, Bond." He says professionally as he turns back toward his computer, fingers flying over the keys.

"Alright. Have one of the MI6 cars take you home." Bond directs in a firm tone laced with concern for the Quartermaster's safety.

Sighing in exasperation, Q looks up from his computer again, but relaxes when he sees the agent is just concerned and not being condescending. "Alright. Yes. I will have one of the drivers drop me round after I'm finished." He reassures the agent with a slight quirking of his lips that is the faintest hint of a smile. "Now, get out and let me get back to work, if you please." His tone is back to his normal posh, almost arrogant sound as he dismisses Bond.

Satisfied, James nods a little. "Of course. Goodnight, Q." He says before he turns to walk out and back to his car, tired and wanting to test out his bed for some much needed sleep.

Jerking awake later that night when he hears the front door clicking closed, Bond has his gun in hand aimed at the door before he realizes why he's awake. Not hearing an intruder, he gets up and moves the very edge of the curtain aside unobtrusively, just in time to see a black sedan pull away that looks like the cars that MI6 drivers use. This is only confirmed when Bond sees the plates. Still, he keeps his gun out as he hears a thunk in the living room downstairs, moving down on bare, silent feet.

What James finds on the couch makes him smile a little. There is Q, fully dressed, bag sitting by his dangling arm, fast asleep. Shaking his head for a moment, the agent tucks his gun into the back of his pajama pants before reaching out to help Q sit up enough that the blonde can slide one of the brunette's arms around his neck, easily picking him up bridal style. "Bloody hell, Q, you barely weigh anything." He mutters to himself as he walks upstairs with the boffin in his arms.

Once he gets to the brunette's bedroom, James lays the younget man on the bed before starting to gently undress him, starting with his jacket, then shoes, tie, and cardigan. Finally, he works off Q's trousers and dress shirt which leaves him in a t-shirt and pants. Setting the clothes aside carefully, James tucks the covers in around the brunette before sliding his glasses off to set them on the end table next to a glass of water. Of course, only this causes the younger man to start to wake a little.

"Shhh, Q. Go back to sleep." James whispers, brushing his fringe back from his face and waiting for him to settle back down before he whispers, "Goodnight, Q."

"Goodnight, Robert." Q mumbles, mostly asleep and his speech slurred from it. Given the recent events, it can be assumed that is probably the name of his ex.

Despite that, James feels irrationally angry and jealous to be mistaken for Q's ex, even if he rationally knows that the brunette's uncinscious mind hasn't adjusted to living with someone else.

As he takes a few steps back from the bed, James realizes he is not going to get back to sleep, so instead he returns his gun to his room, then walks down to the basement where the workout equipment is, hoping to work off some anger, but also maybe tire himself out some.

The high rep, low weight workout doesn't do much to make him too tired, but does let his mind wander so he doesn't realize how much time has passed when he hears a clatter from upstairs. Grabbing a towel and wiping down his face and arms with it, James takes the steps of the two flights of stairs two at a time.

Halfway up the second flight of stairs is when he hears the screaming, like someone is in severe pain. It makes James sprint down the hall and slam open the door to Q's room, seeing the younger man not being tortured, but in the throes of a nightmare, twisted up in the covers, sweating and thrashing.

His entire body tensing and arching off the bed, Q whimpers as another scream is torn from him.

Frozen for a moment in shock, James quickly surges forward, climbing up to sit on the bed next to Q and gathering the younger man into his arms, trapping the brunette's arms between them so he can't flail, while also trying to contain but not hurt him.

"Q! Q! Damien! Wake up!" James shouts, hoping his real name which he did learn sort of accidentally, will be enough to wake him up.

Jerking awake, Q struggles a moment when he feels trapped and is unsure of where he is, before he recognizes Bond's aftershave and relaxes with a broken sob. Resting his face agsinst the agent's shoulder as he takes a moment to compose himself and regulate his ragged breathing, Q finally starts to sit up a little. "I'm sorry... did I wake you?" He asks, voice a little hoarse from the screaming and dryness.

Holdimg Q and rubbing his back, James doesn't let him go completely when he sits back but does loosen his hold on the younger man. "No, I was already awake. I brought you up here after you came home and collapsed on the bed. I'm a light sleeper, a necessity in the field. I'm not comfortable enough here yet to sleep deeply." He pauses, lifting his hand to brush the younger man's hair back and wipe away tears slowly before he continues. "What was that, Q? Christ, I thought you were being tortured.. I've only heard screams like that when.. well, I know the sound of pure pain." He says softly but firmly as he watches Q, looking him over just to make sure he is ok physically.

A bitter laugh comes from Q, and while he accepts the soft touches, he won't look into the icy blue eyes of the agent. Slowly, he pulls his bare knees to his chest, folds his arms over them and hides his face in them before he speaks.

"It sounded like I was being tortured because I was, in my dream. We all have damaged pasts, James. And this was part of mine." Q says with a slightly muffled tone, sighing and shivering slightly.

Seeing the shiver, James slides over to sit directly next to Q, leaning back on the headboard before he reaches out, putting his hand around the younger man's shoulder and gently tries to tug him backwards toward his own chest both for comfort and warmth. "It's ok, Q. You don't have to tell me anything. But if you want to, I'll listen." He says after a moment.

Deciding to give in to the comfort, Q lifts his head a little to lay back and lean against James' side, using his shoulder as a pillow to continue to avoid looking at him. "We went to a casino one night when I was at MIT. Went down to Atlantic City. I needed a bit of cash, and I'm very good at counting cards. Apparently the casino we went to did not take kindly to one person winning too much. Then they somehow figured out I was counting cards. Later, whe I was dragged into a back room, I found out that particular casino was owned by the Italian mob." Pausing for a moment, Q chuckles but there's no humor in it. "They wanted me to use my skills for them. To take down other casinos. I refused. I had University and things I wanted to pursue. They held me for two days, I think, before they let me go. Luckily my friend had my winnings. I spent a week and a half in the hospital and another week and a half in therapy. Another two weeks later and I was back in England, finishing up Uni here." He deliberately glosses over everything, knowing that the agent can fill in the blanks. Not to mention he doesn't really want to remember the details.

James just holds Q during the explanation, frowning as he imagines the young man tied to a chair, bloody and beaten but not giving in, then tossed somewhere and left for dead, yet still getting himself to a hospital somehow. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Q. You are much stronger than I ever gave you credit for." He says with a little shake of his head, relaxing against the headboard.

Sitting up to escape the sudden intimacy, Q moves away slowly, getting up and stripping off his sweaty shirt in the darkness, only to snatch up a white one from his open suitcase, putting it on followed by the glasses he snagged from the night stand as he passed. Finally, he comes to rest looking out the back window at the silent morning, then sun not yet lightening the horizon.

"Yes, well. My life has been complete shit with moments of happiness. Perhaps next time you will think a bit harder before you judge people by appearances." Q says stiffly as he crosses his arms over his chest to ward off the morning chill.

Nodding a little, James gracefully gets up and walks over, standing beside Q to look out the window, then placing his hand on the other's boney shoulder. "Quite right. Try and get some sleep, Q. I'll be next door if you need me." He says quietly, worried about the younger man, but he can tell when his presence isn't wanted. Turning with one last squeeze of the brunette's shoulder, James walks through the bathroom, closing the door behind him, until he gets to his own room where he can strip off his shirt and fall back into bed for a few more hours' sleep

* * *

**Just something I whipped up. This has been bothering me for two days. Heh. Hope you all enjoy it, did it a different way this time, so hope there aren't too many spelling errors. :)**

**Please let me know what you think! Reviews/comments welcome!**


	9. Chapter 9

Q sighs as he wakes up the next morning, stumbling out of bed and heading toward the bathroom. Blinking at the bright light, he stumbles over to deposit his glasses on the counter, then take care of a screaming bladder issue before he returns to the sink to wash his hands and splash some water on his face to wake himself up a bit more. Finally, the brunette puts his glasses on, freezing at what he sees.

Bond, clad only in a towel around his waist, hair still damp from a shower, is staring back at him. Seeming very amused, James had frozen with his straight razor half way raised to his shaving-cream covered face. "Good morning, Q. You are really not a morning person, are you?" He asks, chuckling a little.

"No, I'm not. How long were you going to stand there before you said something?" Q demands to try and cover up his utter mortification at not noticing that Bond was in the bathroom.

"Oh, I was going to keep quiet, see how far you got before you noticed me." James chuckles a little as he watches the blushing boffin, having long since gotten over any shyness or aversion to the body in any of its forms. He finally completes the motion of lifting his razor to his cheek, scraping away the stubble and cream before he rinses it off in the sink.

Huffing a little as he looks at the older man, Q just sighs a little. "I suppose I'll have to wait until you're done, then, before I have my shower." he says with a little smirk, tilting his head to the side. "So Moneypenny was telling the truth about your straight razor." he says as he admires the way that Bond handles it so easily, and listens to the scrape of the metal over skin.

Chuckling a little as those blue eyes cut sideways to look at the brunette in the mirror, James rinses off the razor. "It's a closer shave." He says with a little shrug, leaning closer to the mirror to get his upper lip. "Sometimes the old ways are the best." He says as he winks at the other man.

Rolling his eyes a little, Q sighs. "I believe my razor works adequately, without the danger of cutting my throat." he says with a shake of his head, turning to brush his teeth at least while he's just standing around waiting for Bond to finish.

"Mmm. I doubt that very much." James considers, then adds, "Take your shower, I'll finish up here, and then I'll show you." he says as he makes another pass over his skin and rinses the blade, vaguely motioning back toward the shower stall.

Q's eyebrows go up as he watches the half-naked agent, taking a brief moment to admire the body which is so casually on display, before he sighs and goes over to start up the shower. "Why am I thinking that my privacy is going to be completely gone with you around, Bond?" He asks, giving a broad yawn as he closes the shower stall to let the water warm up, retrieving his shampoo and such from the closet above the sink, having apparently neatly arranged everything the way he likes it, showing a bit of OCD in that regard.

Laughing a little at that, James grins a little as he looks over at Q. "You are the one who walked in on me in the bathroom this morning Q. That's pretty cheeky, making such a presumption. Of course, I gave up on physical privacy a long time ago. Are you that uncomfortable around me, Q?" He asks, then turns toward him for a moment, looking the younger man over slowly. "I'm not willing to be your rebound, I'm afraid." he deadpans as he looks at the younger man. "So don't start getting a crush on me." He can't keep a straight face anymore, and he chuckles a little before he turns back toward the mirror after looking at the utterly stunned face of the brunette. "Relax, Q. Don't look so shocked. As adorably attractive as you are, you're my Quartermaster. And more importantly, my friend who is working on getting over a nasty breakup. Now get in the bloody shower." he says with a little grin, finishing up with his shaving and pulling up a towel to wipe away the remaining shaving cream.

Turning a bright shade of red, since he has had a few moments of admiring the handsome agent, Q clears his throat a little and nods. "Of course, Bond." He says with a shake of his head. "I would not have thought of anything else." He says before he walks over to the shower, making sure there's a towel ready for him before he strips down and steps in, making quick work of washing himself up, scrubbing a bit longer than he might otherwise because of his nightmares the night before, letting the hot water soothe him while simultaneously very aware that Bond is waiting for him.

Deciding he can't hide an longer, he shuts the water off and grabs the towel off the rack, drying himself most of the way before putting the towel around his waist and stepping out, wandering to the linen closet to grab another towel that he starts to rub over his hair, peeking up at James. "What is it now, Bond?" he asks in a frustrated tone as he notices he's being watched.

James chuckles a little and shakes his head, not having bothered to change or dress yet, the towel still around his waist, secured snugly. "You're not quite as skinny as your cardigans make you out to be." He says as he looks the younger man over. "But you are still too bloody thin." He tsks softly. "Glad to see you're old enough to get stubble, though." He teases with the barest hint of a smile. "Up you go." he says as he pats the counter in between the two sinks, which is wide enough for Q to sit on.

Rolling his eyes a little, Q continues to rub his hair dry after putting his glasses on, trying to get most of the moisture out of the thick locks. "Oh, very funny Bond. I may be lean, but I am more than strong enough. I merely cannot make myself look as muscle bound as you." He says as he motions to the agent's bare chest, looking him over. "I tried, at once time. It's not possible." he says before he looks at the counter, touching his darkly stubbled jaw and chin, before he walks over and hops up onto the counter, rubbing the back of his neck a little before he looks down at the agent. "I could have just leaned against the counter, Bond." he points out scoldingly.

"You really should call me James, Q. Since we're living together." James says as he approaches with the shaving cream, considering before he nudges Q's knees apart to stand between them, starting to apply the foam to the younger man's face, stealing the towel the younger man was using, and tossing it over his own shoulder. "Now stay very still." He says before he picks up the straight razor, casually sliding his hand into the boffin's hair to hold him still but also hold his hair back, glancing at those sharp, intelligent eyes before he carefully starts to run the blade over the younger man's pale skin.

Q remains very still during this, not want to get skinned afterall. He braces his hands on the counter on either side of him, closing his eyes slowly, moving his head where he's directed, trusting Bond not to slice him up. With his eyes closed, he can focus on something other than the half-naked agent in front of him, and instead to the quiet sounds of the house, a slight wind outside, the humidity from the shower, mingling scents of shampoo and body wash, Bond's aftershave. It actually relaxes him quite a bit, finally opening his eyes when his head is tilted back and the blade runs up over his throat.

Much like Moneypenny did to him, Bond takes the towel and rubs the rest of the shaving cream off slowly. "There you go." He says before he steps back, adding, "Might want to put a bit of aftershave on that." he says before he goes to clear up his supplies.

For a brief moment, Q just sits there, before he slides off the counter, adjusting the towel to make sure it will stay on his slim hips before he retrieves his aftershave and applies some of the lightly scented product, getting his brush to run it through his hair and after applying a little product, tries to settle it into some sort of order, sighing and giving up after a moment. He does, however, rub his cheeks a little, glancing over to find James watching him. "Fine. It is a closer shave with the straight razor." he grudgingly admits as he glowers over at his house mate.

James smirks a little and he nods quietly. "I know." He says with a small chuckle before he turns and positively struts back to his bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him as he goes about dressing.

"Bloody double-ohs." Q grumbles as he turns to his own bedroom, closing the door behind him as well just to be sure before he dresses for the day in his usual outfit. Being the first one down, he starts the kettle and coffee for James, before he considers and pulls out a few things for quick scrambled eggs and toast.

By the time 007 comes downstairs, food and coffee are both waiting for him, eyebrows going up. "You shouldn't have. Thank you." he says with a nod as he sits down and eats slowly, "I'll give you a ride into work. I have some paperwork to finish." He says in a slightly annoyed tone, plus he wants to keep an eye on Q to make sure he takes care of himself properly.

Sitting down with his tea to eat as well, Q nods quietly, running a hand through his hair and adjusting his glasses. "Well, if you're going in, it would hardly make sense for me to refuse, now would it?" He asks as he puts his tablet down on the table and flicks through it, bringing up news articles and things like that before he finally shuts it down. After the food is consumed, he gets up and puts his dishes in the dishwasher, his movements a little more relaxed this morning, looser than what Bond might have seen at work. It's still obvious that a lot is going on in his mind as he walks around almost on autopilot, frowning a little. "Where did I leave my bag?" he asks in frustration.

"Living room. By the couch. You dropped it there when you passed out." James says off-handedly as he motions back toward the living room, hesitating before he shakes his head. For a moment as he watches Q walk away, he just thinks about how easily he's adapted to spending most of his time with Q, to living with the younger man. He's not used to living with someone, not that he's not used to giving up his privacy. He's used to not having privacy, given the job that he does. But to share everything with his Quartermaster of all people, it's making him feel more grounded, and more hopeful perhaps, than he has for most of his life. Which is a slightly dangerous thing in his mind, and yet at the same time it's an intoxicating feeling, and one he doesn't want to end.

Finding his bag, Q makes an 'ah-hah' sort of sound before he brings it back to the kitchen to pack his tablet back into it, nodding in satisfaction, having gotten shoes somewhere along the way. "Ready when you are. Best bring an umbrella, it looks awfully stormy out there." He says as he goes to retrieve his parka and umbrella.

Nodding a little, James follows, grabbing an overcoat and his umbrella, making sure that he has his keys before he opens the door and waits for Q to go out before he sets the alarm and closes the door, locking it behind them before he walks toward his car, unlocking both doors before he slides gracefully into the driver's seat.

The drive to MI6 is quiet, parking in a secondary garage type place, forcing them to use the front entrance to MI6. Or at least they would, except when they get close, Q stops in his tracks and stares at a figure pacing back and forth in front of the doors. He is the exact opposite to Bond, dark hair and dark eyes, having a resemblance to a weasel in some ways, but not unattractively. Most people would find him quite attractive.

"What is it, Q?" James asks, putting a hand on his lower back gently before following his eye line and looking at the other man who has stopped pacing now that he's spotted them. "Is that..?" He trails off, leaving that question hanging in the air.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Q glances at James for a few moments, his hands clutching the strap to his messenger bag so tightly that his knuckles are turning white. "Yes. That's Robert." He says slowly, shaking his head slowly. "I really.. I can't deal with him this morning, James." He says quietly, looking up at the agent.

Noting the slightly vulnerable look, James turns and puts himself between Q and Robert, putting his hands on the brunette's arms, gently holding onto him and squeezing them gently. "It's alright. Did you ever tell him about.." he trails off when Q starts shaking his head, and the agent just nods a little. "Right. I'll deal with him." he says in a firm tone, more angry at this Robert for not even being trustworthy enough for Q to feel comfortable sharing something painful with him.

After another moment of Bond watching Q closely, he gives one more squeeze of his arms before he turns and starts to walk back toward the entrance, frowning a little as he subtly keeps himself between the boffin and this Robert. When the ex tries to approach, James holds out a hand to prevent him from getting close. "He doesn't want to talk to you. I thought I made that rather clear on the phone yesterday?" he asks in a cold tone.

"I have a right to talk to him! Who the bloody hell are you to stop me?!" Robert demands as he glares up at the slightly taller blonde, before he looks past him and over toward where Q is still walking toward the building. "Damien!" He yells, trying to move forward once more, only to find himself shoved back. "I don't have any quarrel with you, but get your bleeding hands off me." he says in a sharp tone as he looks at the blonde.

"Then stay away from him." Bond says simply as he looks at Robert, sidestepping to keep him away from Q. "Go inside, Q. I'll see you inside." He says as he glances over his shoulder at the brunette.

Seeming a little nervous about leaving the two together, Q just nods a little. "Thank you." he says before he glares a little at Robert before he shows his ID badge at the door and walks inside, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Q? What kind of bloody nickname is that?" Robert demands, fuming down as he glares at the blonde who is keeping him from even talking to the person he still thinks of as 'his'. "You can't be with him all the time, I'm going to talk to him, no matter what you might want, you great wanker." he says in a disgusted tone. "You must just be some poor sod he told some sob story to, you some security guard here or something? Did he bat those pretty eyes at -" Is about as far as he gets before his face meets Bond's fist.

Angry does not even begin to describe how James is feeling right now. He's rarely felt this kind of blind rage that makes him lose his cool, and caused him to lash out. Luckily his fighting skills are much better than the other man's, causing him to dodge a fist headed in his direction and put his own fist in the man's gut, before he grabs him by his neck and slams him back against the brick wall of the building, glaring at the now stunned features of the other man. "I told you to Stay. Away. What part of that don't you understand?" he asks in a cold voice, grabbing Robert's hand that he tries to bring up to fend him off, and he slams it back into the wall as well, feeling a satisfying crunch of bone under his fingers. "Q.. Damien.. wants nothing to do with you. He does not want to see or talk to you. If you continue to harass him I will have you arrested for harassment. Or worse, I will just make you disappear." he threatens in a cold tone, before he steps back, adjusting his clothes, he turns to approach the door, "If that man comes within ten feet of this building again, arrest him." he says in a firm tone to one of the guards, pointing toward Robert before he nods and turns to head inside, hoping that Q is alright.

"Bravo." Eve says, having been standing inside the door, a bakery bag in hand so she must just be coming into work as well. "Is that the evil man who broke our Q's heart?" she asks as she looks at 007, figuring that would be the only reason that the older man would react so violently.

One hand casually resting inside his trouser pockets, he nods a little. "Yes. Apparently his name is Robert. He's lucky that he got away with only a broken arm." he says with a little shake of his head. "I could have killed him quite easily. Under different circumstances, I might have. I told him that if he ever comes near Q again, I would have him.. detained." he says slowly as he steps into the elevator with the secretary.

A small, firm nod is given, and Eve takes a deep breath. "Yes. Well, I would have hurt him as well. Only I would have aimed further south. Let's see him cheat if he can't use his genitalia." She says in a cold tone as she hits the button for the executive offices in order to get to her desk, looking over at James. "I don't think I've ever seen you in here this much when you're on mandatory leave. I take it you and Q are getting along well as house mates?" She asks with amusement as she looks over at him.

"Yes. We're getting along quite well." James chuckles a little as he remembers that morning. "Q is not a morning person." he says with another light, fond smile, glancing up at the numbers scrolling by on the elevator. "Do me a favor.. talk to M about getting Q a few days off. Complete days off. Where Q is not to be contacted unless Q-branch is burning down. Yesterday was supposed to be his day off and he was working until at least midnight." He says as he looks at the woman beside him.

When the doors to the elevator open, Eve steps out and looks back at James, smiling softly. "I'll speak to him, but only because it's Q." She says with a small nod of her head with another little smile.

Taking Eve's hand for a moment, he places a soft kiss on her knuckles, which is polite but nothing more, and he smiles. "Thank you, Miss Moneypenny." he says before he steps back and allows the elevator doors to close, leaning back against the wall with a small smile, glancing down at his hand for a moment and flexing his fingers, hitting the button to go down and work out, deciding that he needs to work out some anger, but first he needs to see Q and make sure the younger man is alright.

Privately, James admits that him moving in with Q has done everything that he originally proposed. He will be coming home to make sure Q is alright, he'll probably take less chances in the field and disappear a great deal less at the end of missions. He has something to come home to now, even if it's just his friend and house mate, the idea of which makes him smile and shake his head. Noticing the camera in the corner of the elevator, he glances up at it and chuckles softly as he watches the blinking red light.

"You're watching this bloody feed, aren't you, Q?"

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**So this chapter just kept going! The ex gets a well deserved butt kicking, and there's some innocent flirtiness. This is what happens to me when fanfiction goes down. :D Though that's dangerous to say, some of you might want FF to go down more often so I write longer chapters. Lol.**

**Hope you enjoyed this, there is more excitement and drama to come!**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Warnings for more severe cursing than any other chapters.**

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Unfortunately before Bond can get to Q-branch, he's waylaid by Tanner who is dead set on getting the agent's paperwork in, in a somewhat timely manner. That is to say, getting it in at all, something that normally never happens with 007. So, under the watchful eye of Tanner, Bond is forced to do his paperwork, which delays him until nearly noon, at which point he goes to pick up some take away for him and his Quartermaster.

When Bond finally arrives in Q-branch, he finds it in pandemonium. Employees are scrambling everywhere, trying to get the relevant information to where it needs to go. Q's tense form at his standing desk at the front of the office, the ear piece he wears and the screens showing occasional gun fire means only one thing - an agent is in trouble. And that means lunch will have to wait. Bond drops the food in the fridge in Q's office before taking up his post behind and to the side of Q, close enough for his presence to be known, but well out of the brunette's personal space.

With fingers frantically flying over the keys of his laptop, Q has his eyes glued to the center screen which shows positions of enemies and the agent in question, tense and frustrated as he starts to bark out orders.

"LEFT, 002! I said LEFT! Bloody well listen to me, now is not the time to bring my bloody age into question. My abilities are good enough to make me your bloody Quartermaster, so fucking listen to me for once!" Q has never been heard to use such language, so several minions - and Bond - turn to stare at the young man in shock.

As more gun fire is heard over the speakers, the voice of the cocky agent, 002, comes over the speakers. "O survived this long without being ordered about on missions. I didn't ask for your help, Q, all I need from you is my gun. So why don't you go back to the lab and leave field work to the professionals?" The agent says scathingly, breathing heavily as he runs and continues to fire. "Bloody hell that was close." 002 mutters under his breath after machine gun sounds in the background, and the sound of it ricocheting is much closer.

The voice just makes Bond angry, and he stiffens a bit, hands balling into fists. 002 has no idea how capable Q is, or what he went through to get to this point. Bond knows that he has been saved multiple times by listening to that smooth voice in his ear, and his severe injuries on missions has gone down dramatically because of it. The surge of protectiveness that he feels for the young brunette surprises him, but Bond doesn't fight it, just glares silently at the screen.

"Goddamnit, McPherson, this is not the time. If you want to survive this, listen to me! I can see what you bloody well can't." Q growls as he types more, trying to divert the guards to protect the agent, whether he likes it or not. "No, don't go that way, you're heading right into-" The brunette suddenly gets cut off by the sound of an explosion, then the line goes to static, completely dead. A moment later the vitals displayed on one of the screens goes flat.

Dropping his head slowly and letting out a ragged breath, Q finally lifts his head and announces to the room, "Agent is down." Before he moves away from the desk a little. "R, please attend to clean up, I have to go inform M." He says flatly before he turns and glances at Bond before continuing on to his office.

Taking a moment to absorb what happened, the shocked looks on some of the minions' faces and a sad R, Bond finally turns, giving a sharp nod to R before he follows Q into his office and shuts the door behind him. He didn't know 002 well, other than the fact he was an older agent - as far as agent's go, but still younger than Bond - who had had his double-oh status for less than a year. He recalls McPherson being arrogant, cocky in a way that was neither well deserved or safe for a double-oh, and he was an entitled twit. But he served his country well, and died in the line of duty, even if it could have been prevented.

When he focuses on the room around himself, he is standing across from Q who is sitting at his desk, holding a phone to one ear, the other on his forehead, shielding his eyes a little as he stares at the top of his desk.

While Bond listens to Q explain about the mission - that it was completed but that 002 was spotted trying to leave, and glossing over a bit how badly McPherson ignored Q's orders while making it clear the agent was one step from going rogue - he goes to the cabinet under the kettle and pulls out a bottle of whisky that he found a few weeks back, collecting two tumblers as well. After putting a finger's worth in each glass, Bond returns to the desk and silently puts one glass in front of Q, taking a sip from the other. Today is a solemn day and he is fairly sure that Q has never lost an agent before.

After Q hangs up, he looks up at the glass, "Thank you, Bond." He says before he downs the liquid in one gulp, wincing as it burns down his throat, before he stiffly gets up to pour himself another. "I could have gotten him out of there safely. If he had just goddamned listened to me for one bloody minute." He says with frustration, bottle clinking repeatedly against his glass as his hands start to shake.

Recognizing the signs of shock in the younger man, Bond moves over swiftly and takes glass and bottle away from Q, putting them down before he leads the brunette back to his desk, where he figures he feels most comfortable and in control. "There was nothing more you could have done, Q. You reminded him of your qualifications and his duties. It was his own choice to ignore your orders. He was being insubordinate, and a bloody idiot." He says firmly, putting one hand on Q's shoulder gently, giving it a squeeze much like he did the night before. Sighing, he goes to refill his own glass and bring Q's back to him.

"Let that be a lesson to you, 007. You should always listen to your Quartermaster." Q says with a sigh, taking the glass and taking a smaller sip this time. "This is unprofessional. I should not be drinking at work." He says with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

"You just lost an agent, Q, it's understandable. I would wager even M is having a drink right now." Bond reassures as he leans back on Q's desk next to the younger man, swirling around the liquid in his glass before he watches the boffin curiously, not sure how he's going to react.

Looking over his glasses at Bond, Q puts his tumbler down on the desk and then leans back in his chair. "It's a fact of life around here, Bond. Agents die. As the Quartermaster, I cannot fall apart every time it happens. There are other agents out there who need me to do my job."

Bond just smiles faintly at the younger man, finishing his drink before he puts the glass aside as well. "Are you trying to convince yourself not to get too attached to me, Q?" He asks dryly but with amusement before he continues. "Don't worry about me. I wouldn't dare let you down by doing something as pedestrian as dying. Besides, resurrection is my hobby, or didn't you know that?" He asks ad he watches Q, trying to lighten the mood a little and relieve some of his quartermaster's tension.

Even though he doesn't think it's very funny, Q can't help but laugh softly and smile at 007's charm, relaxing s little as the levity and alcohol go to work to relax him a little. "Now you know what I go through every time you drop off the bloody map."

For a few moments, Bond thinks about that as he watches the green eyes of his quartermaster. "I'm sorry, Q. Next time I'll text you if I need some time off, but only if you won't tell M, if I ask you not to." he says in a firm tone as he looks at the younger man.

Seeming to consider his options and the ups and downs of this particular arrangement, Q finally nods a little. "Very well. But if you disappear with no trace again, and then come swanning back in a bloody week later, I will hack your psych evaluation so you're grounded for two months!" he threatens with a dark look at the agent.

Chuckling with a slight smile as he looks at the man in the other seat, he offers his hand to the boffin to seal the deal, a twinkle of amusement in his intense blue eyes.

"It seems we are in agreement, then, my dear Q."

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**So this is the way I work through a crappy day, I torture my fic characters. :D Poor Q.**

**Hope you enjoyed it, reviews/comments welcome!**


	11. Chapter 11

After making sure that Q is alright, getting him to eat, and suggesting maybe he should spend the rest of the day working on the piles of paperwork that are sitting on his desk rather neglected, Bond makes his way out of Q-branch, musing over everything as he heads to the elevator to go up and talk to the one person who he trusts even a little in this whole place. When the doors open, he walks down the hallway until he sees Moneypenny, eating lunch at her desk. "Anything good?" He asks, not sounding like his usual playful self as he sits down in a chair across from Moneypenny's desk.

"I suppose a day like today even affects the great James Bond." Eve says with amusement as she looks at him, then she sighs. "Vending machine, I'm afraid. M needs me nearby." She says with a little shake of her head. "How is Q?" She asks, guessing that the older man was down there when it happened.

Bond takes a deep breath and sighs a little. "He's coping." he says with a small nod of his head. "It's not easy for him, the first agent he's lost. And all because McPherson was a bloody idiot and didn't listen to Q." he says as he rubs a hand over his face, sighing. "Between that, and his ex nearly assaulting him this morning, it's been a rough day for him. I suggested he spend the rest of the day getting caught up on paperwork." He says as he finally sits up a little straighter in his chair. "I think he deserves that vacation." He adds, before he frowns. "I want to find out more about Q's ex. We can get a picture of him from the cameras outside, find out his full name, do a background check maybe. The way he was behaving this morning.. it's a little too aggressive." He admits as he stares at the front of Moneypenny's desk.

This concerns Eve both because she feels as protective of Q, who she considers a friend, as Bond does, but also the fact that when 007 gets a hunch, it's usually a good idea to follow it. "I'm sure I can bribe one of Q's minions into doing it for us. They're the best people for that sort of thing." She says as she turns to her computer, hitting a few keys as she chews a bit of food, working for a few moments to get a good picture of the ex. "What set you off about this bloke?" She asks as she looks at the picture, frowning a little.

"The way he was so fixated on Q. I know that anyone would be sorry to lose Q, and would feel guilty for being a complete arse. But this was something different. It's like he was desperate. It's how a starving man would fight for food." Bond says as he looks at Eve, shaking his head a little. "So either there's something we're not seeing here, or that man is more dangerous than we might have first assumed." he watches Eve closely. "I'm just looking after my Quartermaster." He clarifies as he sees the vaguely amused look on Eve's face.

Moneypenny nods a little. "Of course. Did I say anything?" She asks with a little shake of her head. "I think I know who I can ask. I might even get a date out of it." The younger woman points out, shaking her head as she watches him. "You should go down to the gym or something. Leave the information gathering to the professionals. I'll let you know if we need your other various skills." She says as she looks him over, then she turns back toward her computer.

Accepting that without so much as a quip in return which shows how much Bond is worried about Q and everything, slowly getting up as he watches Eve. "Let me know what you find. I'll be at the pool." He says as he goes back to the elevator back down to the lower levels and the large pool that's there. He changes in the locker room and then starts doing laps in the pool, the motions allowing him to properly digest the events of the last week or so. Something about that man, Robert, leaves Bond feeling unsettled. He does laps until his shoulder starts to ache before he gets out of the pool and showers to get the chlorine off his skin and out of his hair. When he comes back into the locker room with a towel slung around his hips, he's surprised to see a very tense Moneypenny waiting for him.

"M wants to see you. It's about our little research project." Eve says before she turns to head out without another word, just the firm clacking of her high heels and the quick pace showing that she's agitated at all.

Frowning for a moment, Bond finishes drying off and dresses before he heads up and into M's office when he's waved through. "You wanted to see me?" he asks, standing between the two chairs in front of M's large desk, clasping his hands behind his back.

Looking up from a folder on his desk, M sighs a little and he nods slowly. "Ah, yes. 007. Moneypenny informs me that you started an inquiry on someone you had an altercation with this morning." He says as he taps his fingers on the folder, placing a photo on the desk for the agent to see.

Stepping forward, James nods slowly. "That's the man. He's Q's former.. boyfriend, lover, I don't really know how he wants to classify it. It was an unfortunate breakup but ever since that man has been rather aggressively trying to contact Q again. Something about him doesn't sit right with me, so I asked Miss Moneypenny to find a way to do some inquiries quietly, so Q wouldn't be aware of it." He says as he slides one hand into his pocket. "I take it she found something." Already thinking about what it might be, Bond shifts his stance a little as he prepares for whatever it might be.

"I am not sure how my predecessor missed it, but it seems that Q's significant other is a spy. There's no indication that he knew of Q's importance. It seems he's Russian. We're not sure why he's in England, but he's been here for some time. From the preliminary data we've been able to gather, it seems that he may have recently become aware of what a valuable asset Q is." M pauses before he stands slowly and picks up an envelope. "Your mission, 007." He says as he holds out the black envelope toward the agent. "This one shouldn't be too difficult, but don't underestimate your target. We don't know anything about his real skills. I've sent a message that you're going on a mission after a foreign spy, to Q. But I've only given him the bare minimum of information. Enough to give you the equipment you need, but I've made it clear that since this is a domestic matter, you will be on your own. You will not have the backup of Q-branch. Given the nature of this matter I believe it's for the best." M says as he looks at the agent across from him.

Nodding as he takes the folder, Bond watches M for a few moments, before he smirks a little. "It would be my pleasure to take care of this for Queen and Country, M." He says with amusement. He waits a moment, and turns to head back to Q-branch in order to get his tech, which he has a feeling will involve his gun, and a radio just in case. Mostly, he just wants his Walther.

When he reaches the door, Bond pauses and then turns to look back at M for a few moments, a predatory look on his face, settled fully into mission mode it seems.

"I'll report back when I have the man in custody, sir."

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**SURPRISE! I wonder how long it will take before Q's curiosity gets the better of him and he goes to find out what exactly Bond is doing. Thena gain, he's got a lot on his plate, so maybe he won't find out. What do you think?**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Slightly stronger swearing ahead. Just to let'cha know.**

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When Bond made it down to Q-branch, the young man was just putting the finishing touches on his 'kit' as it were. "Since I am unsure as to your actual mission, I'm afraid I can't provide you with much support, 007." Q says as he looks at the things on the tray, frowning a little. "Walther, with improved biometric grip and radio are standard of course." He says as he slides them across his desk toward the agent. "I thought you might be able to field test something else, however.."

Opening one of his drawers, Q draws out what appears to be a military grade collapsible knife, which he opens. "Multi use of course. A knife, if you're in a pinch though I do hope you don't get it too bloody.." He notes with an obvious look of distaste. "However, the handle also has a camera in it. The button to take the pictures is just there. No flash, I'm afraid, since that's not very covert, however it can take several hundred photos. If you need to offload them, there is a USB port hidden just here." He says as he points to an area along the side of the knife handle that has a cover, something he pops off to show Bond, and then slips back on. "The camera works with the knife in or out of course. Wouldn't want you to accidentally cut yourself while you were taking surveillance photos." He says with a slight smirk as he looks at Bond.

The next object he pulls out looks like a little tin of lip balm. "This is a listening device. It will record and transmit up to a hundred hours of audio. It transmits it to a secure server which you can log onto from your laptop. Here is that information." Q says as he hands over both the tin and the instructions. "Do let me know how they work out for you. There is only so much testing we can do in the lab before we need a field test." He says as he watches the agent. "Please try to bring your equipment back in one piece, 007." He pauses for a few moments, then he frowns briefly. "And do be careful." He says before he slowly sits down behind his desk again, glaring at the piles of paperwork that he doesn't seem to be making a dent in.

Examining each piece of technology as it's given to him, James tucks them into pockets which will be easy to reach and then he nods as he looks at Q. "I'll do my best. This shouldn't be a long mission." He pauses. "Take a car home, Q. Be careful." He says as he looks at the younger man.

Looking over the top of his glasses at Bond for a moment with a dry, unamused look, Q sighs a little. "Your concern is touching, 007, but I assure you I am quite capable of making it home. And I am capable of taking care of myself." he says as he looks at the older man, looking back at his paperwork. "Standing there will not change my mind, it will merely delay your mission. I am FINE." He says in a firm tone as he looks at the agent on the other side of the desk from him.

Nodding a little as he takes one last look at Q, remembering what he's doing this for, Bond nods a little as he looks at Q, "Of course, Quartermaster. I'll see you when the mission is over." he says as he looks at Q, then he turns and heads out of the office, feeling a strange sort of satisfaction to know that he's got an actual excuse, a legal reason to go after this Robert. More than just for revenge, he's worried about if the boffin finds out that his ex was a spy. Bond doesn't want to cause him any sort of pain so that worries him, but he doesn't let it cloud his mind as he goes to get himself a car, looking through the black envelope he was given at what little information they discovered. Starting his car, he decides to start with the last known address, the flat that this 'Robert' used to share with Q. Luckily he has years of experience in suppressing his anger, so he doesn't let it to control him now.

Luckily the flat is not only in a quiet neighborhood but the fact that it's the beginning of the day helps in his favor because not many people are around. Bond is able to park his car and head up to the building casually, his Walther sitting under his jacket in its shoulder holder should he need it, and the other tech in various pockets. Getting into the flat also seems a little too easy, given the security he has seen on their house that Q designed and installed. He wonders if Q took the tech with him when he left, and the thought makes him smile.

Inside the flat it's very bare, obvious that two people used to live there by the large empty spots on shelves, and the shapes in the dust that indicate something else used to sit there. Slowly and methodically, Bond makes his way through the apartment, starting with the main sitting room before moving onto the kitchen, looking for anything that could indicate a hiding space or a scheduler of some kind. The man would have had to be careful, living with someone else. Especially with someone as observant as Q. If something was out of place or not where it belonged, Bond is very certain that Q would have noticed it. Still, he checks all the usual spots, looking at the walls for seams that don't belong, even going so far as to look inside the air ducts and the toilet reservoir. It's a long shot, and one that doesn't really pay off.

He gets pictures of a planner that has some appointments in it in the spare bedroom that appears to have been turned into an office. Other than that he finds it to be a disappointing trip, at least until he spots the air conditioner that is oddly still in the window. For a moment, he stares at it, then he shakes his head. "Too easy.." he mumbles, not believing it for a moment as he walks over, examining it closely before he pops off the front, taking out the filter, to find a USB stick taped inside. It's not in an area that would get too cold or hot, but definitely hidden from view. "I'll have to remember that." He mutters quietly, then remembers that there is no one listening, no posh voice in his ear on this mission. So instead he just tears the drive out and closes the air conditioner up the way he found it, slipping out and locking the door behind him. In and out without a trace, that's how it should be for men like him.

Once he's back in his car, Bond pulls out his laptop and puts in the drive, using some decryption software that Q provided him for a mission and he just conveniently hasn't remembered to remove. Once he sees the things on the drive, the agent frowns a little, shutting everything down and tucking it into a small safe under in the floor of his car under his driver's side mat, usually using it for his gun if he doesn't need it. In either case, it gives him an idea of where the man will be, since it's enough time for him to visit a hospital for his broken wrist and get to his appointment.

A part of Bond thinks that this is almost too easy, but he decides not to think that way until he finds out just what this appointment is and what sort of backup the man may have there. Thankfully the traffic is still light, making it easy for 007 to park far enough away that the car will be safe, from the warehouse where the main action will take place. Checking his gun and making sure that he has an extra clip or two, Bond gets out of his car and stealthily heads toward the warehouse, finding a way in that will conceal his approach, crouched behind some crates when he hears movement.

"What happened to you?" The tone of voice indicates an older man in his 40's, and from the brief look that Bond gets of him, he has a feeling that he's either high up in an organization or is close to retirement because he isn't as fit as he used to be.

Once he hears another person approaching, Bond removes the recording device, coordinating it with some road noise to slide it across the floor, against a crate closer to the conversation where he knows it will pick up everything, given how Q usually makes his technology.

Robert continues to approach from the main door where he came in, one arm in a cast and a frown on his face. Thankfully in his mind, it's not his gun arm. "Damien's new.. friend, lover, bodyguard, I don't know what the hell he is. But he's strong, he's got training." He says with a small frown. "He might be an agent, but I don't have any confirmation behind that."

The older man lets out a short, humorless laugh. "And what, you couldn't fight back?" He challenges, eyebrows going up as he crosses his arms in front of him.

"Hey! I was keeping up my cover." Robert says in a firm tone. "Robert wouldn't know how to defend himself. Do you know how hard it was to take his abuse? This goddamned hurt!" He tries to keep his voice down, but his anger is obvious as he waves his hand around. "Besides, we were in front of the MI6 building and Damien was there with him. I couldn't break my cover. And I couldn't risk drawing too much attention to myself, not at this stage in our operation. If I get my hands on that man, though.." he shakes his head a little, letting the sentence hang there threateningly.

The older man snorts a little. "What are you going to do with him with a broken arm?" He asks dubiously, shaking his head. "I take it your attempts to get yourself back in Damien's good graces failed. You need to change tactics, blunt force is obviously not working. I don't think that I need to stress to you how important it is that you get him back with you. How you could fake a relationship with him for so long and not realize his importance within the MI6 organization... We are wondering if we promoted you too soon, for you to be so careless." The man says quietly, in a dangerous tone that implies failure is not really an option if you want to live.

"He was good at hiding his work! He never told me anything about it, especially after he got whatever his big damn promotion." Robert says angrily, glaring a little at the older man before he starts to pace. "Christ, why don't we just nab him instead of the whole relationship ruse? He's so.. cold. Hell, he's barely ever around and when he is he's just so damned boring. He's too damned skinny and it's like having sex with a friggin' blow up doll." He mutters in disgust.

That comment is almost enough for Bond to reveal himself just to shoot Robert in the head, but he takes a slow, deep breath and lets it out silently. He is grateful that he has Q's device so that M will be able to hear everything and Robert continues to damn himself with every word.

"It would be worth it if we could get more information about MI6, if we could learn a fraction of what he knows. If you're right and they called him Q, he is one of the highest ranking members of their organization. He might be the Quartermaster, the one who is in charge of developing all their new equipment. Think of what could happen if we could get someone like that on our side." The older man says after smacking Robert in the back of the head. "Use that brain for once." he says with a shake of his head.

Deciding to use one of Q's other little gadgets, Bond takes out the knife camera, thankful for digital cameras that no longer have shutters that click when you take a picture. Getting into a better position while still under cover, Bond starts taking pictures of the meeting between the two, wanting as much evidence as he can get.

"You don't have to live with that stuck up little brat." Robert says with a shake of his head. "I only stuck with him because he was just the kind of slightly eccentric guy that this Robert you made up for me would like." He says before he sighs, frustrated. "Of course I had to find someone else to occupy my time. He was supposed to work late, he always worked late." He starts to sound slightly like a petulant child, probably being the same age as Q if not a little younger. "I did like the money he brought home though." He admits with a smirk. "Are you sure we have to do this?" he asks as he looks at the older man.

Grabbing Robert by the front of his shirt and shoving him back into some crates, the older man backhands him. "Shut your mouth, and do your job. Maybe we should find someone else to do your job who is a little more skilled and won't screw up."

That is about as much as Bond wants to hear, and he finally comes out from his position, standing and shooting the older man in the leg without warning as he approaches. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He says, focusing on the older and seemingly more dangerous one as he reaches for his gun. Bond keeps his cool and gives Robert a disinterested look before he moves forward to disarm the older man. Underestimating someone is not something that Bond usually does, but everyone makes mistakes now and then. And this is his when he tends to the older man first, leaving plenty of opportunity for Robert to move forward and knock him off balance.

The older man is still in no position to get up and fight and his gun is gone, but knocking Bond over gives Robert enough opportunity to move forward and grapple with the older man. He can show his true colors now, his fighting skills good enough to rival 007's, but the older agent has more experience, so he manages to knock out Robert in a vicious blow to the head. He'll be fine, Bond made sure of that, retrieving his gun to aim it at the older man who is still laying there, before he calls for a team to retrieve their prisoner.

The next call that he makes is to a different office at MI6, waiting for a few moments until someone picks up on the other end, and Bond hears M's voice come through the line.

"It's Bond. I've got our man. And he's brought a plus one. I've already called for medical and retrieval."

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**Whew, that was a long chapter! Q is so much better off without Robert! He turned into a much bigger bastard than I originally planned.**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	13. Chapter 13

Once the prisoners are taken away, Bond makes his way back to MI6, straight to M's office, being allowed in straight away by Moneypenny. "This man is a real bastard. Don't be afraid to use force." He says in a cold tone, a little ruffled still from his fight, suit lightly speckled with blood and having a split lip, but otherwise unharmed. "A recording of the conversation he had, be careful who you allow to listen, it's not pretty. Pictures, and a USB drive that I found in his apartment. In the air conditioner of all places."

"Interesting. I would have thought that would damage the drive." M says as he picks it up and turns it over, looking at the other items and he smiles. "I see Q found a way to outfit you with what you needed, even if he didn't know the full extent of the mission." He says with a slight smile, a little amused as he looks at the items, "Interesting." he says, since he doesn't usually get to see the tech that Q comes up with.

Bond nods a little, looking at everything and thinking over the night he's had. "I'm going to tell Q. Now that Robert is in custody, there's a greater chance that someone will let it slip, that he'll find out somehow. I think it would be better if he heard it from me than one of his minions, or worse, someone in the hall." He says as he looks at M seriously, not making it a question.

Considering the stance of the agent in front of him, M nods a little. "It may be for the best. You'll be glad to know that Q already left for the day. Leave the rest of your equipment with R and go home. We'll deal with all of this." he says as he motions to the tech on his desk, implying Robert and his older friend as well.

With a respectful nod, Bond turns and heads out of the building only after he washes his face and hands downstairs, taking his car back to the house. When he steps inside the house, he's surprised to hear soft, classical music coming over the speakers that must be hidden because he doesn't see any of them. Taking a guess, James moves through the house, getting himself something to drink in the study before he heads to the library to find the young man in more comfortable clothes, a t-shirt and some loose pants that are a little ragged around the edges, legs crossed in his desk chair as he focuses on his laptop.

"That was a rather swift mission, James. Did you complete it to M's satisfaction?" Q asks without even looking up from his computer screen, intent on whatever he's working on.

Nodding a little as he sips from his tumbler, James watches the other man. "Yes. It was surprisingly easy. I left the equipment with R. Well, the gun and radio. The rest is with M." He says with a little smirk. "It was almost too easy, but very important." He sighs a little, not sure how to broach the subject so he decides to be blunt about it. "We need to talk, Q." he says as he looks at the younger man.

Q looks up from his computer at that, hitting a few swift keys before he stands up, his pants resting low on his hips which exposes a little of his skin as he stretches, nodding. "What is this about, James?" he asks as he walks into the study to get himself a drink as well, figuring that he might need it.

James turns and follows him, then adds, "This morning, when I had it out with your ex, I.. got a bad feeling about him. So I asked Moneypenny to pull his picture from the security feeds and do an in-depth background check on him. Something about the way he was trying to talk to you.. seemed odd." He starts as he watches the younger man. "They found something a little disturbing. My target for the mission was him." He says simply as he looks at the brunette carefully.

Staring at the agent with the glass halfway to his lips, Q reconsiders and goes to sit on the couch, taking a slow, deep breath. "Alright." he says carefully. "Why was he your target?" he asks as he looks up at the agent, holding the glass in both hands, wondering how much more he can manage before he just breaks apart.

"It turns out that Robert was merely his cover. He was.. is.. a Russian spy. We don't know what his mission was here. He needed a relationship to solidify his cover. He chose you. Until recently, he didn't have a clue who you were to MI6. He must have heard me call you Q, and he and his bosses put everything together, so that's why he was attempting to get back together with you." He says slowly as he walks over and sits down on the other end of the couch with his drink, wanting to be nearby in case Q has trouble with this news.

"A.. Russian spy. Robert?" Q asks in surprise as he looks at James, then he downs his drink in one gulp. "He's a good actor." He says quietly, before he shakes his head a little, running a hand through his hair for a few moments. "Of course. Bloody hell. Why not. Why not have him be a bloody spy.." He says quietly, feeling like he's in a little bit of shock, leaning over on his knees. "So I.. was just a bloody cover." he says, shaking his head. "Right." he says numbly before he gets up, going over to put his tumbler down on the side board. "I think I'm going to go to bed, and sleep for a bloody week." he says as he looks at James for a moment, and then he turns to head toward the stairs, trudging up them slowly.

Not sure what to do and never having been good at comforting people, James lets Q go to give him some privacy, a little worried since he expected anger or something not this completely numb response, but he knows that Q has been through a lot today. Considering his options, James slowly gets up and heads into the kitchen, digging around until he finds what he's looking for and he starts to cook. He's not a bad cook actually, he's been sort of forced to learn, having been a bachelor his entire life. It's just that he is rarely home to be able to do it. But today he can do something for Q at least.

It takes about two hours before James finishes everything, and he puts two bowls of a creamy chicken soup, round slices of garlic bread if he'd prefer, or he made some grilled cheese with tomatoes inside of them. He also grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. It's not gourmet, but the older blonde believes that the wine will relax him and the food will hopefully comfort him. Feeling oddly domestic, James carries the tray upstairs, sighing a little as he steps into Q's bedroom, looking at the younger man curled up on the bed, having obviously broken down and been crying. "Q.." he says slowly, setting the food down on the floor before he sits on the edge of the bed, reaching out to rub Q's back in broad circles. "I brought you some food.. you need to eat something." He says in a gentle voice.

Curled up on his stomach, hugging a pillow which his head is buried in a little, Q sniffles a little and takes a deep breath. "Are you going to keep invading my privacy like this, James?" He asks quietly as he shifts, but he enjoys the touch on his back, finally turning his head away from the pillow to look up at Bond with red eyes, sliding one hand up to rub the heel of his hand against his eye.

"Yes." James says bluntly but he smiles a little, getting up and picking the tray of food up to put it on the smaller desk that's near the window, starting to uncork the wine. "Come on, sit up. I've made soup and sandwiches, from scratch I might add, so the least you can do is eat." he says with a smirk over at the younger man.

Sighing a little but nodding his acceptance, Q slowly sits up, trying to put his bed back into some sort of order, he folds his legs under him and sits against the headboard. For a moment, he runs a hand through his hair, then looks around as he realizes he's not wearing his glasses, patting the bed to try and find them, then huffing in frustration when he doesn't.

Shaking his head, James gets up and picks the glasses up off the floor, leaning forward to slide them onto Q's face. "There. You really should consider contacts." He says with amusement as he leans back, then brings the food over, putting a glass of wine on the night stand for him, before he goes back for his own food. "I'm sorry, Q.. You should take a few days off." he says as he looks at the brunette. "You've had a hard day. We don't have many agents out in the field, R can handle it, and anything else you can do from home." He offers as he looks at Q.

Starting to eat his soup slowly, looking at the sandwiches and everything. "This is.. actually quite good. Thank you." he says with a nod of his head as he looks at James, then he sighs a little as he looks down at his soup. "Maybe I will take a day off.. I'm sure M can't begrudge me that." he says quietly as he looks around. "They did call me in on my day off, afterall." He says in a slightly more confident tone.

James chuckles a little and then he nods, smiling again as he looks at the younger man. For a moment, he stops eating and just stares at Q to take everything in. He is now living with his Quartermaster, who he cares probably too much about, and is extremely protective over. To the point that he just discovered a spy on their own soil because of it. The young man, who he's becoming attached to, is charming, attractive, with a quick wit and a quicker mouth. Aloof, and damaged. Precisely his type. Well, that's going to be trouble. Finally, he looks away and takes a drink of his wine, wishing for something a little harder before he looks back at Q.

This is quickly heading in a very complicated direction and James can do little more than dive in and let himself be swept up and enjoy the ride.

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**Two in one day, I just couldn't get this out of my head today. And now.. on to one of my Sherlock fics. :) Hope you're all enjoying this!**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	14. Chapter 14

By the time Q finishes his food, he notices that Bond is staring at him, and arches an eyebrow slowly. "Is there something I can help you with, James?" He asks, sounding more amused than upset though, the corner of his lips curling up in a slight smile.

"Hm? No, not at all, Q." Bond says as he finishes his food and gathers all the plates up, putting them back on the tray before he pours Q another glass of wine, sitting back on the edge of the younger man's bed, facing him, and he leans over the brunette's legs a little. "Anything else I should be aware of, Q? Sleep walking? Well, true sleep walking, not your half-awake stumbling you did this morning." he says with a little smirk as he continues to watch the younger man. "No more stalkers?" He asks, intending for it to come across as playful.

A small chuckle comes from Q, the alcohol relaxing him a little and he leans back against the headboard as he picks up the glass and sips at it slowly. "No, no other stalkers. Besides, I have an agent as my house mate and bodyguard. The infamous 007. And if I don't have him around, I have a bloody good security system." he says with a small giggle, sounding slightly intoxicated from the wine that James has been giving him. "Shouldn't you be off.. wooing some woman, like you usually do after missions?" he asks curiously a he looks at Bond curiously. "On that note.. I do hope you won't bring any of them home. I would be very happy not to get into such an awkward situation."

A small smirk is given to the younger man, and James grins a little. "Infamous? I like the sound of that." he says with a small smirk, then he takes a deep breath. "I was too angry earlier to go to a bar and get drunk. Besides, someone has to take care of you. You barely remember to eat at work, I can't imagine what you would do on your own." He says as he looks Q over for a few moments, nudging his knees with a faint smile, before he starts to look a little more serious. "But in all seriousness, Q.. How are you doing?' he asks as he watches the brunette, putting his hand on Q's leg just below his knee, giving it a little squeeze.

Sobering slightly and looking down into his wine glass, Q shifts a little before he lifts his head to look down the bed at his bare feet, turning them toward each other and he moves them back and forth for a few moments before he looks over at James. "I'll be alright, James. Thank you. It's been a difficult few weeks." he says before he shrugs, pulling his knees up to his chest, and away from the older man. "It's.. difficult for me to deal with. Everything that's happened. And I'm a bit lonely. I was never home a great deal of the time, but I was with Robert for years, I got used to everything.. it's.. lonely to sleep alone. And bloody cold." He pouts a little at that, still avoiding looking at James. "It was easier when I was sleeping on the couch.. it's more difficult to sleep alone on an actual bed." He says as he looks around his bed for a few moments, then takes a drink of his wine. "Thank you for the food, James." He says with a slight nod to the agent, finally looking up at him. "I should probably get some rest. It's been a long night." He notes as he looks at James.

Letting those words sink in, James finds himself not sure what to do, if he should pretend like Q didn't say any of that, or if he should offer comfort. He decides to do the one thing that he tends to do the best, and that is offer comfort. It's just that he doesn't usually offer comfort in a way people would typically think of it. Without saying anything, James gets up and takes the wine glass from Q, putting it on the tray with the dirty dishes before he picks everything up. "I'll be right back." he says to Q, before he brings everything downstairs, turning off the music, putting away leftovers and putting the dishes in the dishwasher before he finally heads back upstairs, changing into a t-shirt and pajama pants before he walks back to Q's room.

Seeing as the brunette hasn't moved from where he was sitting when James left him, the agent slowly walks over and slides onto the bed, sitting near the middle before he slides an arm around Q's thin waist and pulls him over gently, leaning the younger man against his own chest, getting comfortable and holding the young genius close to his body, not giving any explanations or anything, just wanting to offer the comfort since Q seemed to be so lonely.

A little surprised at the physical touch, Q allows himself to be pulled over and while he stiffens a little at first. Slowly, finally, he allows himself to relax. He's not exactly sure what's going on, but he has to admit he enjoys the comfort of the very warm agent, shuffling around a bit so he can remove his glasses and put them aside before he cuddles more comfortably down into James' arms, finally closing his eyes. Not sure if he should break the silence or not, he remains silent until his need to say something overrides everything else, so he finally just settles on. "Thank you, James.." Before he closes his eyes and relaxes more, yet not able to sleep just yet.

"You're welcome, Q. Anything I can do to help you." James says honestly as he shifts, grabbing a spare pillow to put it behind his head, gently starting to rub Q's back. For a few moments, he notes how similar the younger man feels to a woman, in the sense that he's got very soft hair that is brushing against his neck and jaw now, and how he's got such a lean body. Of course, that's about as similar as it gets. Because while a woman has curves, Q is all awkward angles which actually makes James smile a little. Maybe he really does need to get laid, if he's starting to compare his quartermaster to a woman, or rather, a potential sexual partner. The very idea makes him chuckle a little and he closes his eyes, shifting to continue to hold Q more comfortably.

The laughter makes Q stiffen since he doesn't understand the reason behind it, and he can think of many reasons. Instead of cutting and running like he may have at one point though, he remembers that among other things, James is his friend, and that's what this is, friendly comfort. He doesn't think the agent would be the sort to start laughing at him when he's at his most vulnerable, especially since the older man has just seemed to want to take care of him thusfar. "If you are laughing at me, James, I will be quite cross."

Surprised at the question, James smiles and shakes his head slightly. "No, no. I'm not laughing at you, Q.." He reassures, sliding one hand up to rest on the younger man's head, turning his head to brush his chin and jaw against the top of Q's head in a comforting gesture. "Go to sleep, Q. I was just having some odd, somewhat amusing thoughts." He says with another little smile as he shifts slightly and reaches out to pull the sheet over both of them. Feeling the younger man relax, James relaxes as well, closing his eyes for a few moments.

Accepting what the older man tells him, Q relaxes and nestles his head more comfortably against James' shoulder, letting out a little sigh. This is a dangerous thing, because while he knows consciously that James and he are just friends, and that's all he wants, his subconscious mind is another matter. He just hopes he doesn't say or do anything embarrassing in his sleep. Thankfully he doesn't have much time to think about that before he drifts off into blissful sleep.

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**Alright, a little bit of fluff after the (comparitively) action-packed chapters. Not sure I'm very happy with this chapter, but here it is for your enjoyment. Or at least, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	15. Chapter 15

Luckily Q is a heavy sleeper, so James is able to get up first and slip out of bed, heading downstairs for an early morning workout as he waits for his coffee to brew. When he finishes, Q is still in bed so he showers, shaves and dresses, gets himself something to eat, then hesitates as he glances upstairs then at the clock, chuckling a little. Given the events of the previous day he thought Q would be up early, but maybe he just didn't get a chance to set his alarm. Still, he feels odd leaving the house without even so much as leaving Q a note, so he makes a quick cup of tea and scribbles a note that says, 'I'll let M know you're taking the day off. -James'. Walking upstairs, he leaves the note and tea on the bedside table before he heads off to work to see what M has found out from Robert, if anything.

If he is any sort of quality spy, Robert won't be broken so easily after less than 24 hours, but Bond just isn't sure about any of that, so he wants to check and see how the interrogation is going. Unfortunately by the time he gets to work there's nothing really for him to do, and there's not even anyone for him to talk to. So for a while he goes down to the pool to do laps, goes to the gym and finds a few other agents to talk to, people he hasn't seen in months.

But still, there's little for him to do, so by 2 o'clock or so he gets bored and decides to go home, change, maybe go out for the night or something, since he's feeling restless. When he pulls up in front of the house, James sees a curious sight. Standing in front of the door is Q, just looking up at the house but wearing jeans and a long parka-like jacket similar to the one he was wearing at the National Gallery the first time they met. He just can't fathom why Q is standing outside the front door like that. Shrugging a little, James walks up the path to the house, looking at the brunette for a moment, and noticing he doesn't have glasses. "Did you lock yourself out or something?" He asks as he looks at the younger man, taking out his keys. "I suppose you designed the door to be lock picking proof or something equally as clever." he says as he shakes his head, nudging the other man aside so he can unlock the front door.

"Well? Coming in, or going to stand out there all day?" James asks as he looks back at the other man, stepping inside the door and holding it open for him, taking in the boffin's slightly surprised look, then a look of realization dawning on his face for a moment before a purely impish smile crosses his lips, broader than he's ever seen on Q.

Once they're both inside and the door is closed though, James turns swiftly and slams Q against the wall, one hand at his throat. "Now who the hell are you?!" He demands, rather pissed off. "Because you sure as hell aren't Q, and you better have a damn good explanation if you don't want me to snap your neck." he says in a firm, dangerous tone, but not an angry one. This is Bond, 007 in charge at the moment.

Unfortunately, the man he's got in his grasp doesn't know the difference, and one hand goes up to grab James' wrist, the other going to try and pry his fingers off, eyes going wide in shock.

Having heard the commotion, Q comes out from the library, which he has informally claimed as his, and he stares for a moment. "James!" he says in alarm as he hurries toward the two, "Let him go!" He demands, waiting until he complies before he grabs the other man by the shoulders. "Bloody hell, Alec, you didn't tell me you were coming. I didn't have a chance to warn James, I'm sorry.. Are you alright?" he asks, ducking his head down a little to look at the neck of his doppelganger.

Letting go of the man and taking a few steps back, James is more than a little confused. "Q?" he asks as he looks at his boffin for a moment, then he looks at the imposter. "Would someone explain to me what's going on?" He asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

'Alec' clears his throat a little, rubbing at it for a moment. "I'm fine, Damien." he finally speaks before he chuckles. "Never had quite so violent a greeting. I am Alec, Damien's twin brother, as I'm sure you can tell." he says as he motions between them for a moment. "You must be the infamous James Bond I've heard Damien rant about so many times. You've been making my brother's work life hell from what I hear. I'm frankly shocked to find you two living together. But, it's a pleasure to meet you." He says as he holds out his hand toward the older man.

Q nods a little as he looks between the two for a moment. "I'm sorry, James, I didn't know Alec was coming over, or I would have warned you." he says, looking rather embarrassed. "James has been a little high-strung after Robert's recent antics.. he isn't taking the break up well." he says quietly with a little sigh.

Sighing a little, Alec reaches over and hugs his brother tight for a few moments, nodding slowly. "Hence the bloody fortress you live in, eh?" He asks, then he pulls back and rubs his hands together. "Well, I could murder a cup of tea." He say as he looks at the various doorways, then points toward the kitchen. "Kitchen?" he asks curiously.

After Q nods at him, he watches his brother move off toward the kitchen. "I'll be there in a moment. " He says before he looks at James. "I haven't seen him for some time. Years, in fact." He admits with a weak smile. "And I didn't tell him too much about what I do, just that we work together and you drive me up a bloody wall." he says with a shake of his head, before he smiles a little.

After taking in all the information and considering it all while he watches the conversation going on in front of him, James nods slowly as he looks over at Q. "It's fine, Q. You're lucky I didn't shoot first, ask questions later." He says before he shakes his head a little. "I was just going to change and then head out anyway, probably for the night. I'm restless." He says as he looks around the house for a moment. "I hope to get a mission soon, that one yesterday was too bloody easy." He says with a bit of frustration. "Go catch up with your brother, Q. I'll see you tomorrow." he says quietly with a nod of his head, putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder and giving it a squeeze, not letting him reply before the agent is up the stairs to change.

Knowing exactly what James means by 'restless', Q sighs a little before he goes back into the kitchen, finding a cup of tea waiting for him. "Thanks." he says to his brother as he sits down at the island across from where Alec is standing, letting out a heavy sigh, shoulders sagging slightly before he takes a sip.

"You know, he is bloody gorgeous." Alec points out, then grins as he gets an incredulous look from Q. "What? Just because I prefer women, doesn't mean I can't appreciate an attractive man. I just don't want to shag him." He points out, rubbing his neck a little. "He's awfully protective of you." He says slowly as he takes a drink of his tea.

Rolling his eyes a little, Q sighs softly. "Alec, if you came here to talk to me about relationships, I'm really not in the mood. Plus, it's been less than a month since I broke up with Robert." he points out. "And I've been living with James for less than a week. Not to mention, while I don't know his orientation precisely, I do know that James prefers women. That's where he's going right now. He's getting changed, probably go out and get drunk, then find some woman to shag." he says before he sighs, rubbing a hand over his forehead. "How about we talk about you for a little while, little brother?" he asks with a little bit of amusement.

Now it's Alec's turn to roll his eyes. "You're older by what, five minutes?" he asks before he leans back against the counter. "My life is so ruddy boring, though. Patricia and I are doing good, still trying to get her pregnant, she wants a child so bad, I'm starting to get a bit worried, but the doctor says it's normal." he shrugs before looking down into his mug of tea, taking another drink. "The restaurant is doing well, we hit a bump a few months ago, I found out one of my employees was stealing from me. That was unpleasant, but otherwise it's doing well. Patricia is doing well at the bank, too." He says before he smiles a little again. "That's about all that is going on in my life, Damien. Now.. why don't you tell me why this James of yours called you Q?" he asks curiously, eyebrows going up. "What, is that some sort of nickname?"

"Mmm. Yes, it is." Q says simply as he looks at his brother. "Anything beyond that, I can't tell you, Alec, I'm sorry. It has to do with that secret part of my job." He half-jokes as he looks at his doppelganger. And yet, even this man who was like his other half growing up, doesn't know everything that he's been through in his life, Q has often chosen to suffer alone, to save his twin the guilt and pain of knowing what he's been through. "And please, don't give me the speech about my job. What I do is very important, and I got a promotion a few months back. I do important work and I save lives, that's all I can tell you." he says as he looks at Alec, having had many arguments with the other man about having a job where he can't even discuss it with someone, and how is he supposed to have a proper relationship like that, etc.

Alec puts his cup down on the counter a little harder than necessary with a frustrated sigh, looking at his brother and then shaking his head again. "I just don't see how you do it." He says finally before he looks at Q. "James.. you can talk to him, about work, right? I mean, you have SOMEONE to talk to, right?" he asks as he continues to watch the bespectacled man in front of him, not having gotten the bad vision. It's the only thing about them that has ever really been different.

Getting up slowly to rinse out his mug in the sink, Q nods slowly, gripping Alec's arm for a moment in reassurance. "Yes. I can talk to James. We've become quite good friends actually." he says thoughtfully. "Not what I first expected when I met him. I initially thought he was arrogant. The sort of man who will jump blindly into something and happen to be lucky enough to come out alive." He says with a small snort and a shake of his head.

"And now you two live together." Alec says incredulously, running his hand through his hair, which is a bit shorter than Q's, but otherwise styled pretty much the same. "I'm surprised you haven't killed each other yet."

As Q looks for some biscuits to serve as he starts to make a pot of tea for the two of them, he pauses, looking into the cabinet blankly, his eyes unfocused as he thinks. "I thought I would, when he suggested sharing a house." he says slowly as if he's musing everything over, which in a way he is. "But he's been.. amazing, actually. He's a lot more human than I would have ever thought." he says as he slowly closes the cabinets and turns to look at Alec. "Still infuriating and he has no concept of personal space, but.. he takes great pains to make sure I'm.. taken care of." He hesitates, then blushes slightly and laughs. "I mean.. he makes sure that I eat and rest, things like that. That's the extent of it." he reassures quickly as he looks at Alec, knowing his twin might misinterpret what he was saying.

Laughing a little as he looks at Q, Alec goes over to the fridge to find something he can make a decent sandwich out of since he already spotted the bread, starting to put ingredients on the counter, pausing only as he hears the front door close. Once everything is out, and Q hands him a plate, he looks at his brother and just grins.

"Right. And you're sure that there's nothing going on between you two?"

* * *

**I forget when I first had the idea of Q having a twin, but I couldn't resist. So much potential for interesting things to happen. :) Sorry about the long delay between chapters recently, I will try to get better this week since I'm on vacation. :)**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	16. Chapter 16

"You are worse than our mother." Q says to his brother as he looks at him, shaking his head before he starts to steal some of the items that his twin had pulled out for a sandwich, grabbing another plate to start making one, passing items back and forth to Alec almost unconsciously.

"What? I am living happily with a wonderful woman, and while I thought my brother, my twin, the closest friend that I have, was happy and in love as well, it turns out that things are quite different for you. And now, you're living in what appears to be domestic bliss, with a bloke that is attractive and obviously cares about you. I just want to make sure you'll be taken care of, brother." Alec says as he puts an arm around Q's shoulders, squeezing his shoulder lightly before he goes back to making his sandwich. "This James seems pretty good at taking care of you."

Q sighs a little, leaning forward to bang his forehead against a cabinet. "Bloody hell, Alec, you are going to drive me to drink in the middle of the afternoon, would you let it go? James is protective of me, yes. But there have been some rather unusual circumstances recently. And while I can't tell you much, I do outrank him at work, and he believes it's part of his job to keep me safe." he says as he glances at his twin, preparing the pot of tea before he sits down at the counter. "As far as I know, he's a bachelor who enjoys picking up women, but never for more than a night. However, I am surprised that he, as you put it, seems to be good at taking care of me." he says as he looks down at his sandwich.

Smiling a little and sitting across from his brother, Alec chuckles, finally taking off his jacket and putting it over a chair, "Well. That's alright. Sometimes it's nice to have friends like that. Close friends who will just be there for you and that you can rely on to protect you in a pinch." he says as he looks at Q. "And, you know. If, eventually, anything forms from it, then.. all the better." He adds, grinning broadly and winking at his twin.

"Can we please talk about something else, Alec?" Q asks in exasperation with a little shake of his head, starting to eat. "Tell me more about your lovely, boring life." He says with a little smirk before he goes back to eating.

The conversation becomes a little more relaxed as Alec recounts everything that's been happening in his life, from strange customers to mix-ups in the deliveries and problems with the business. Nothing too bad of course, just normal events from the everyday life of a restaurant owner and husband.

Since Q can't say very much about his work, he instead is urged to talk about Robert and everything that happened. It's therapeutic actually for Q to finally get it all off his chest, his later nights after his promotion, no outward sign of problems in the relationship at least that Q could see, until the moment he came home early, thinking it would be wonderful to spend some time with his boyfriend he hardly ever sees, only to see that Robert wasn't exactly missing Q. It's too new of a pain and he still can't get through it without breaking down, glad that James isn't there, and hating that he's so emotional since the breakup.

After that comes a little bit of alcohol and Q passing out, while Alec changes into some of his twin's pajamas so he can stay overnight just to keep an eye on him since Q doesn't seem to think James is coming home, so Alec camps out on the couch, watching the tellie.

Unfortunately the night has not been as good for James. He went out alright, to a bar, a pub and then a club. And he did find someone to distract him for a while, but it's ultimately unsatisfying, being left with an empty feeling and the desire to go home. So he leaves and heads back home, smart enough to leave his car where it is and get a taxi home because he's too drunk to be driving even this late at night. He is barely sober enough to get inside, but he does, frowning a little as he hears the TV on, removing his jacket and hanging it up before he slips out of his shoes at the door, messy in a way he would not be when he's sober. "Hope you weren't waiting up for me." He says as he leans in the doorway and looks at the mop of hair he can just see over the top of the couch.

Surprised that James is home afterall, Alec glances up at the ceiling before he smiles, deciding to be a little mischievous and give his brother a little nudge. It's not like he hasn't ever impersonated his twin. So he slowly sits up to look over the couch at the intoxicated and rumbled man. "No, just wanted to try and watch a little tellie, calm my mind down a bit before I went to bed. I didn't think you would be back tonight." he comments, imitating the calm, flat tones of Q.

Under normal circumstances, James would most definitely notice the difference, but since he's not exactly sober at the moment, he just smirks, slinking - which is really the only way to describe it - over toward the couch, leaning on the back of it as he looks down at the younger man. "That brain of yours is always so busy.." he says quietly, reaching out to brush some fringe off of the brunette's forehead, "Blimey, you have no idea, do you? I'm sorry about what you went through, Q. But Robert wasn't worthy of you. If this were another time, I might think you were fae, come to tempt me or tease me to distraction." he says as he slides his hand into the thick curls, pulling his head a little closer.

Behind James, Q has come downstairs for some juice to drink and to see if Alec is still up when he hears something going on in the living room so he goes to see what the deal is, shocked into freezing on the spot when he hears James and sees what the older man is doing.

Alec is a little startled as well, not aware of James' aggressively sensual nature so he was only intending for maybe a bit of light flirting. But with the hand in his hair he's sort of trapped, staring at Q over James' shoulder with wide eyes a moment before the agent's lips are against his. That's about the time he regains his senses and shoves the older man away, making a face and frowning. "Get off me." He says in a cold tone.

"James." Q says from behind him with a little sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wants to interrupt before things can get too far. He has an inkling about what just happened, and he can't blame the older man for not remembering about him and Alec in his intoxicated state so he's not even upset.

When he speaks, the agent turns to Q, his expression going from confused to startled as he looks between the two. Then realization dawns and he frowns. "Not Q." he says as he points to the man on the couch, then he straightens and looks over at his Quartermaster. "I'm sorry, Q.. I forgot about your.. twin.." he says as he makes an awkward gesture, then he takes a few steps toward his boffin, resting one hand along his neck when he gets close enough. "Forgive me?" he asks hopefully.

Pursing his lips and sighing a little at the touch, Q nods a little. "You're intoxicated, James. Clearly. And I rather think you should be asking Alec's forgiveness rather than my own. I 'm not the one you kissed." He points out, before he sighs a little. "Go get cleaned up and go to bed. You reek of perfume and sex." he says in a scolding tone, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his best glare at the overgrown child also known as 007.

Reluctantly, James nods slowly, his hand lingering against Q's skin before he slides it away. "Goodnight, Q.." He says quietly before he heads for the stairs and stumbles up them a little, closing the bathroom doors to get himself cleaned up and slightly sobered up before he can fall into bed.

Alec makes a little face, wiping his mouth as he looks over at his brother. "Well, that was interesting." he says with a little smile. "Think he'll be all guilty and repentant in the morning?" he asks, a little amused by all of this.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Q watches his twin for a moment. "Yes, probably. Well done." he says in a disapproving tone, shaking his head. "Don't try and play innocent, I know what you were doing, and I know that it was very much on purpose. It might be best if you leave before he gets up in the morning, Alec." He says as he goes over and gives his brother's arm a squeeze. "It was good seeing you, wake me up before you leave. I'm going back to bed. Goodnight."

"Alright, alright. It was good to see you too, Damien. Goodnight." Alec says from the couch before he grins and lays down. Well, at least maybe the two will think about it now.

* * *

**Well.. this could be awkward. Darn tricky twins. But it will all work out for the best! Depending on how fast Q's broken heart heals. :)**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	17. Chapter 17

Q gets woken up the next morning by Alec who is leaving early, and by the time his brother leaves, Q is too awake to think about going back to sleep, so he showers, dresses, and heads downstairs to get himself a cup of tea and start working at his computer until he hears movement upstairs. Getting up, he moves back into the kitchen to put coffee on for James who he knows will definitely need it this morning, then goes about making them both a proper breakfast.

Waking up with a hell of a hangover, which is not something he's used to, James takes a long, hot shower before he dresses and heads downstairs, following the smell of sausage and eggs, and coffee. "Q, you are a saint." He says as he enters the kitchen, carrying a bottle of aspirin. After getting himself a cup of coffee, he takes the aspirin and then looks over at Q awkwardly, sitting down at the little island in the middle of the kitchen.

Sitting down across from James, Q starts to eat for a few minutes. "So. You kissed Alec last night." He says, deciding to dive right into that little problem that he is sure will be weighing on James' mind. "Presumably you thought he was me." he adds after a moment as he looks at the older man.

Coughing lightly into his coffee, James clears his throat and he nods quietly, taking another drink. "Yeah. Looks that way." He says casually as he watches Q for a few moments over his coffee mug. "I was drunk, the night did not go as well as I wanted it to." he says with a little wave of his hand. "And then, there you were, or at least I thought it was you. Looking all rumpled and vulnerable." he shrugs a bit. "Anyone would have wanted to kiss you."

With raised eyebrows, Q watches James for a few moments. "Not anyone." he says before he shakes his head for a few moments. "I suppose I should be less surprised that you would be attracted to men as well as women, but your preferences are still quite clear." He says as he considers it as he looks at the agent across from him, before he looks down at his plate, eating a few more bites of food. "Is this going to be a problem, James?" he asks as he finally looks back up into those intense blue eyes.

Still watching the brunette for a few moments, James considers, tilting his head before he smiles. "No, Q, this isn't going to be a problem. And yes, I do find you attractive. But I also know that relationships aren't something I do well. It also seems ill-advised given our working relationship. But most importantly, you have just gotten out of a long term relationship, Q. You won't have to start double-guessing my motives. I want you to be safe and happy. Whatever I can do to help, well.. all the better." He says before he shrugs, then he smirks. "But don't think I didn't see you checking me out in the bathroom the other day." he says with a sly grin at the younger man.

Feeling a blush creep up his cheeks, Q clears his throat. "Yes. Well. You are in rather good shape, James, I'm sure you're used to being admired by a variety of people." he says before he focuses on finishing his food. "I'm glad that we're clear, however, on everything else." He says before he gets up to start cleaning up the dishes.

Glad that with that joke he could get things somewhat back to normal and out of the awkward conversation, James nods a little. "Well, I suppose that's true. I work hard to look this good at my age." He says with another smile, finishing his food and moving over to give his plate to Q before he gets himself more coffee. "By the way. I got you three days. To work from home. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. You should take it." he says with a small nod of his head, sipping his coffee.

Sighing softly and glancing at James for a few moments, Q nods. "I think you're right. Thank you." he says as he quickly finishes the dishes and then wipes his hand on a towel. "I assume you'll be going in to MI6 again today?" He asks as he regards the older agent.

"The interrogation should be finished, M wants me in today." James says quietly as he looks at Q for a few moments, before he says, "A mission might come out of it. I'll let you know if I'll need my Quartermaster for my supplies." he says with a little smile at Q, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. "No more unexpected visitors for a while, alright?" he asks as he watches the younger man with a little smile.

Q snorts a little and then nods, waving James off. "Yes, I quite agree. I am looking forward to a little peace and quiet for a while. Do try not to blow anything up."

"Yes, sir." James says as he straightens and gives a salute to Q before he relaxes and smirks a little, giving the younger man a wink before he goes toward the door to grab his jacket and shoes before he heads out. Realizing where he left his car, he sighs a little and grabs a cab to that part of town to retrieve his car and then head to work. Thankfully his car is in one piece, undamaged. He checks everything over carefully before he starts it up, then heads to MI6, parking in their employee parking.

Bond gets up to M's office without running into anyone that he particularly wants to chat with, instead he sends a flirty smile Moneypenny's way before he's told to go into the office. "M." he greets as he stands opposite the older man.

"Ah. Good morning, 007." M says as he looks up from a folder on his desk. "We've completed our interrogation or Robert, or perhaps I should say Vlad Brustic. A Russian spy, as we thought. Sent here to try and acquire state secrets, it seems. The other man was his handler, Russian intelligence." He says as he looks at Bond, holding out a folder toward the agent that contains everything they found out.

Taking the folder, Bond leafs through it slowly as he reads it, going through all the information. "Seems like they were rogue, not sanctioned by the Russian government. Or at least enough that there could be plausible deniability. Is there any way we can retaliate?" Bond asks as he closes the folder and puts it back down on M's desk.

M leans back in his chair and looks up at the agent for a few moments. "Well, I for one would like to know more about the people they work for. If their mission here was not sanctioned by the Russian government, then I'd like to know who is pulling the strings. We're getting information together now, Q is doing the final research, though he doesn't realize it. I need you to see if you have any Russian contacts that are still alive, see if they know anything about rogue spies or agents." He says as he watches the older man evenly. "I trust most of that can be done from here."

A firm nod is given to M as James shifts his stance. "Of course. I'll get back to you when I have any information." He says before he turns to go, making it to the door before M speaks and it causes him to turn back toward his boss.

"007." M says as he slowly stands, thinking about how to phrase the next statement. "I understand you and Q have become very close, living together. I hope that you'll be able to put aside those feelings for this mission." he says in a wary tone as he continues to watch the agent for a few moments.

Watching M, James nods a little as he considers everything, letting his hands hang loose at his side before he smirks slowly as he watches his boss.

"Oh, don't worry, M. My feelings will not get in the way."

* * *

**Yay, another mission! Throw Robert/Vlad and his buddy in a hole, and go get his comrades, James! Yes, I am cheering on my own characters. Don't mind me. :D Hope everyone is enjoying this!**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	18. Chapter 18

Heading down to an office that he rarely ever uses, Bond looks around it for a few moments, noting that at least someone had been in to clean because he hasn't stepped foot inside the room for six months and yet it's clean and tidy. He just needs a private place to make some inquiries and phone calls and this seems like the best place. After shutting the door behind him, he makes sure his line is secure before he starts making his phone calls to his contacts in Russia, trying to find out anything he can about this Vlad and his handler. Unfortunately there isn't much information out there. However, what he does find out is a little disturbing, so shortly after lunch he heads back up to M's office, being waved in by Moneypenny who he winks at with a smirk.

"What have you found out, 007? Anything on our mystery spy?" M asks as he closes a folder he was reading through on his desk after signing the bottom of a paper, slowly setting it aside.

"Nothing about him specifically, but I have found out a few disturbing facts from my contacts in Russia." Bond says as he moves over and sits down in one of the chairs across from M's desk, which indicates that this might be a longer conversation.

M sits back in his chair and nods, steepling his fingers in front of his face. "Please continue." He says as he watches the agent across the desk from him.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Bond looks down at the top of the desk before looking up at M. "It seems that as far as intelligence goes, the Russian government is splintered. The official line is that they will not spy on allies, and that, in fact, they believe spies are outdated and are starting to reduce that part of their program altogether. Not everyone agrees with this however, and a small group of spies and handlers have broken off from the government and started their own intelligence gathering. Apparently with all of the skill and support they would have had under the government. Which means someone else is supporting them financially, you know as well as anyone how much it cost to properly outfit and support any operation." Bond says as he looks at the other man, leaning forward a little in his chair as he continues. "According to my sources, this small group of spies don't care who they are up against, they will take on friends and foes alike, they will send out their agents for missions to any country that they think might have intelligence which is harmful to Mother Russia." he says simply before he sighs. "Which means they could have had more than one here in Britain and they could be anywhere else. These guys have good training as far as blending in and learning certain things to fit their cover. And usually they have good combat training too. Rob- Vlad wasn't bad but he was young, he didn't have the same amount of time as some of the others probably had, to train." He stumbles over which name to call the man they have in a holding cell downstairs, but finally settles on his real name, hoping that M won't comment on it.

As it turns out with the new information that Bond just gave him, M has bigger things to worry about than what words or names that Bond stumbles over. The news that Bond gives him is more than a little disturbing. "And your sources can be trusted?" He asks as he looks at his agent curiously for a few moments.

Pausing for a moment to consider that question, Bond finally nods. "Yes, as long as you keep in mind that some of this information is not solid fact, but something someone heard from someone who heard..-"

"Yes. I quite understand." M reassures after holding his hand up to interrupt Bond's speech. "It seems that we are going into full-scale defense, then. We need to find a few spooks, as the Americans would put it. I may need you to go to Russia and find out if any of these rumors are true, you've been there before so I assume you know your way around and have passable Russian still. If you're rusty I'm sure the linguists downstairs will be happy to help you. I'm going to put part of Q-branch into scouring any and all avenues of intelligence gathering from social media to bank transactions, starting with Vlad's cover, and spread out from there, see if we can tell if there are any more Russian spies on our soil. Make sure you're ready to leave if we need you out." He says as he sits forward, hitting a few buttons on his computer. "On a more personal note, how are you an Q settling in as house-mates?" He asks, having had his concerns about this whole arrangement between the best Quartermaster that MI6 has ever known, and their most dangerous and volatile double-oh.

With a small smirk on his face, Bond nods a little. "Yes, sir. A few bumps along the way, we're still getting everything unpacked in fact. But we're settling in. Once I'm back on a regular schedule of missions I'm sure there will be a bit more adjustment that needs done, but for now I think we're settling in, and I think this is just what Q might need right now. Let's just say that I think he would have run himself into the ground by now if he didn't have someone there with him." He admits before he shrugs a little. "And I think under the circumstances, his performance has been more than exemplary." he adds quickly, not wanting M to think that Q isn't up to doing just as much as he did before.

Chuckling softly, M smiles slightly before he nods. "Yes, don't worry, 007. I am not questioning Q's abilities or his work ethic. I am actually genuinely worried about him as a person." he reassures the agent after a moment. "I agree with you, especially under the circumstances his performance has been stellar. I expect nothing less from him. I am, however, glad to see that your cohabitating will not affect your working relationship. You two seem well suited to keeping your personal and professional lives separate. Do let me know if there's anything you need." He says as he gets up, which is an effective dismissal, but he still decides to be polite. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a budget meeting to attend."

"Well. I don't want you to be late for that, sir." Bond says with some sarcasm and amusement in his tone, getting up as well and sliding one hand into his trouser pocket, his right - his gun hand, and dominant hand - hanging loose at his side as he nods to M, then turns and heads for the door. "Ms. Moneypenny." He greets as he walks by her, deciding that if she wants to talk they can do it later, he wants to put in some practice at the gun range since he's here and he still has a few hours until he can feasibly escape and go home.

At this time of day the gun range is thankfully empty and while he can't use his personalized Walther since Q has that locked up somewhere, he takes out one of the other weapons that is comparably close enough to start his practice, getting through two clips before he feels a buzzing in his pocket along with an annoying ring that he can practically hear through his safety gear. He secures his gun before he pulls out the cell phone, wincing a little at the claxon-like alarm coming from it before he manages to turn it off and open the alert that is blinking on his screen. On it is a video message of Q, which appears to have been taken in their house, and is brief and to the point.

"Ah. Yes. Hello 007. If you are receiving this then there is a high probability I am either in distress or kidnapped. More information will be transmitted after this message. Oh. And 007, do try and find me in a timely manner, I don't fancy the idea of torture."

* * *

**Ok.. I am an evil author. Also, I truly haven't decided what to have happen next, I just threw this in at the end for something interesting. Poor Q. Well, they do say that bad things come in 3's, so after this it will be James' turn. :D**

**Sorry for the weird delays in updates, the last few days of my vacation left me unambitious, lol. Back to the grind tomorrow!**

**Reviews/Comments welcome!**


	19. Chapter 19

Q sighs a little as he wakes up to one hell of a headache and a funny taste in his mouth, his whole mind a little fuzzy which tells him right off that he's been drugged. "Wonderful.." He mumbles, opening his eyes and blinking. When he tries to move his arms to rub the fuzziness out of his eyes, he finds that his hands are tied, with duct tape, to a chair, his legs tied to the legs of the chair. "Well, that's rather unoriginal." he mumbles before he sighs, blinking a few times to clear his eyes, running his tongue along the inside of his teeth before he licks his lips, trying to get rid of the taste in his mouth.

Luckily he doesn't have to wait long because one of his captors comes in, a guy who looks like he came straight out of an 80's rock music video, complete with long hair and headband. "Thought you might be up." he says with a voice that sounds like it would belong to a surfer, not some two bit thug. The other odd thing is that he sounds distinctly American. "You thought you'd just run away, huh?" he asks curiously as he watches Q. "Took us a while to track you down, in that place. Not sure how you got back in, but we saw you sneaking out this morning, trying to escape our eyes.." he says as he motions to his own eyes with two fingers, then points them toward Q. "So why don't you tell us where it is?"

While Q is utterly confused in what the man might be talking about, likely due to the drugs still lingering in his system, it hasn't kept his sharp tongue in check. "You imbecile. I have no idea who you think that I am, but I assure you I am not whoever you are looking for. Nor have I run away from anything. Now, if you would be so kind as to release me, I will forego pressing charges. I really must contact my employer to make sure they don't bring the wrath of God down on this place." he says as he tugs on his arms a little.

The man laughs, a deep laugh like someone who's heard a really good joke. "You're in no condition to be makin' demands. No one's gonna find you here. No one even knows you're missing. My men are real good that way." He says as he drags another chair over and sits backwards in it. All he would need is a toothpick to be a real cliché. "I was hopin' we could keep this friendly. You tell me what I want to know, and you go free. No one gets hurt, this doesn't have to get unpleasant." He wheedles, folding his arms on the back of his chair. "You were real sloppy, goin' to that house from the tube. Not sure who you were meetin' there, but must not have gone too well if you were sneaking out early in the morning." He says with a crude, suggestive chuckle. "What would your wife think? Especially since the only other person I saw go in was an older guy.." he says quietly as he watches the Quartermaster.

Good news, this idiot obviously has no idea who Q is. Bad news is the rocker seems to have mistaken Q for his brother Alec. And that worries Q a great deal because he wonders what his brother is into, and whether or not he's actually into anything. From the sounds of it, it could just as easily have been an attempt at blackmail or extortion. The problem is, why didn't he tell Q about it when he was over? This of course confuses and frustrates the brunette, making him frown a little at his captor.

"Don't like the idea of her findin' out, huh?" The thug asks, completely misinterpreting Q's look, thinking that he's won something. "Yeah, I think you're starting to get the picture. You know what's at stake if you don't do what we need."

Sighing a little, Q tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling for a moment. "You are sadly mistaken, I'm afraid. I was just thinking that I am used to a much better class of criminal." he says as he lifts his head and looks the thug square in the eyes. "Why don't you tell me what I am supposed to do for you, or get for you, or whatever it is you want, so we can start to get this over with?" he asks in a bored voice, clearly not intimidated by the man sitting in front of him.

Whether it's his words or just his general posh, arrogant demeanor or just because the thug is unhinged, it's hard to tell, but the next thing the young man feels is pain exploding across his cheek as he's swiftly backhanded. It also teaches Q that he underestimated the man's speed. For a moment his head remains turned to the side, and then he turns head toward the criminal as he wiggles his jaw a little. "Well. That was unexpected. I would have thought you had a stronger arm." He says with a small, sad shake of his head, since in truth while it was unexpected and it did sting, it didn't really hurt all that much.

And now the thug is starting to get a little pissed. "You know what we want." He says as he gets up, shoving the chair aside. "You just think about everything for a few hours, maybe after that you'll be a little more ready to talk." He says in a frustrated, annoyed voice before he gets up and stalks toward the door.

"Pleasure talking to you. Do give my regards to your men for their gentle handling, I believe I will be out of this with very few bruises. Ta for that." Q calls after the man's retreating form, waiting until the door closes before he winces a little and wiggles his jaw again, looking down at his hands and legs. The taped over his clothes, he notices, none of the tape actually on his skin. And even though it's tight, he thanks the fact that he always wear cardigans, starting to twist and pull on his arms, twisting in his seat lightly until he manages to pull one of his hands free with minimal damage. Very possibly a light sprain to his wrist, but nothing that a few days in a brace won't solve.

After that it's relatively simple for Q to pull the tape off his wrists and lean down to pull the tape off from around his legs. Standing, he sighs a little and mutters to himself. "I am not about to let myself be intimidated by two-bit thugs. I survived the bloody mob for crying out loud." He says with a little shake of his head, well aware that his captors are just downstairs. He is missing his watch, naturally, so he moves over to the window and looks out, glancing up at the sun. Afternoon, then.

Well, if his message went through as planned when he made sure his phone was destroyed that should mean that Bond or some other MI6 agents are on their way. If he trained his people well they should have been able to track him down by now. So all he has to do is wait. Which is difficult, but the thug did say he would be left alone for a few hours, which makes Q curious, sneaking around the room slowly and carefully to see if there's anything of note. Thankfully the building is somewhat new, so the floor doesn't creak.

It still bothers him, what the thug was saying, and he wracks his brain thinking about the conversation he had with Alec all day the day before, and he simply cannot think of anything that would indicate his twin was in any sort of trouble. If he had his phone he might be tempted to call him up now. And for a moment he mourns the loss of his phone, which he did quite a bit of custom work on. he sighs a little and shakes his head slowly before he goes back to searching the room, looking through the desk that was there. Furniture, above ground, duct taped to a chair. And from the taste in his mouth he's guessing whatever was used to knock him out was something that could be easily swiped form a hospital. So whatever his brother is involved with, it can't be too serious.

The familiar sound of a certain car outside somewhere makes Q smile and he shakes his head, chuckling before he mutters to himself again. "Not very stealthy, Bond."

* * *

**Suspense! Next chapter.. Bond's POV about what happened while Q is being all agent-like. Hope you guys enjoy this, and I hope it makes up for me leaving you hanging for a few days. :)**

**Reviews/Comments welcome!**


	20. Chapter 20

"We have a problem." Bond says after charging into M's office, shortly after receiving the video from Q's phone. Instead of explaining, the agent que's up the video and turns his phone around to show it to M. "I've taken the liberty of dispatching a few agents to our house to make sure this isn't a false alarm, while I informed you of what was going on." He says simply after the video ends.

M sighs a little and pinches the bridge of his nose for a few moments. "Our house is in disorder, 007. Spies, and now this. Obviously, retrieving Q should be a priority. Go to Q-branch and have them activate Q's locater chip. It was.. experimental. I suppose this is as good at time as any to see if it's worth the money we put into it." He says s before he motions to Bond dismissively.

"You allowed Q to put an experimental locator chip inside of himself?" Bond asks, a little shocked as he looks at M, then adds, "And it hasn't been tested?" In a curious tone, running a hand through his hair.

"It was going to be tested before all of this happened. Plans changed. Find Q, 007." M says in a firmer tone, pressing a button on his phone. "Tanner, my office." He commands before he gives Bond a hard look.

Taking that as his time to leave and since time is a factor here, Bond nods a little and he turns sharply to head out, nodding to Tanner as he passes before he heads down to Q-branch. "R." He says as he steps into the branch and sees hi Quartermaster's second in command. "We have a problem. We need to activate Q's locator chip, M's orders." He says before he makes a sharp motion for R to follow him, stepping into Q's office as he loads up, for the third time, the video on his phone.

Curious but not one to deny Bond since he is aware of how close the two have become, R follows 007 into Q's office, feeling a little strange about it since he knows how much the young brunette values his privacy, but once he sees the video he moves over to the secure computer, surprised but keeping control over his emotions. "I guess this will be a good test. Hopefully the kidnappers are not smart enough or not skilled enough to find the locator that Q has." he says as he sits down in the chair at the desk before his fingers start to fly over the keyboard, not as skilled as his boss, but there is a reason he was promoted to R.

It takes a little while to get through the protocols on Q's computer to keep out anyone who might want to use the information there for nefarious purposes, but finally R comes up with the right program that should activate the beacon. When the right screen comes up, but R just shakes his head at the error that it spits out, and it takes him a minute or two before he finds the source of the problem in order to give some information to the irritable agent. "It's not coming online. There must be a satellite that's out of position. I said that would make this unpredictable, we should have dedicated one of our own to it." He mumbles mostly to himself, annoyed that his recommendation was ignored since no one thought it was necessary at the time. Hindsight is 20/20.

Because it always seems to take so long in Q-branch, to Bond's perspective, the agent starts pacing back and forth across the office. "Are you telling me that we can't find him because of a satellite?" He asks with a little glare at R, not waiting for an answer since his phone starts ringing. "Bond." He says as he answers it, listening to the report from the team that has already been by the house. "Right. See what you can track down. I don't care who finds him, just Find. Him." he says before he hangs up and turns toward R.

It takes a little while longer but R finally looks up at the impatient agent. "There! I've found it." He says triumphantly with a bit of a grin. "I'm sending the location to your phone now." He says before he hesitates. "Lucky for you, I have an emergency code for your Walther." He says with a smirk as he rolls his chair over to a cabinet and taps in a code to the number pad, pulling out a drawer and then the case that holds Bond's Walther. "Bring Q home safely."

Bond takes the gun, checks it, and then nods to R as he slides it into the shoulder holster he has on under his jacket, already dialing his phone to get a team together as he retrieves his Aston Martin from the parking garage, leaving any emotionality behind for the moment as he loads the GPS directions and starts speeding off toward the house.

When he gets there, he finds out the house is surprisingly modern looking but it's for sale and by the state of the yard it's apparent that it's been that way for quite some time. Semi abandoned house, that's rather typical of criminals, and a little cliché. That's not encouraging. Bond parks the car, noting the other agents that pull up soon after, but he looks at them only briefly before he starts to head toward the house. He'll take them on single-handedly if he has to. This is Q. He has to be protected.

* * *

**Another slightly shorter chapter. Ugh, I hate myself for this. But it's a bit of a filler chapter until the big rescue scene! Still, I hope you all enjoy it. And as always, let me know what you think!**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


	21. Chapter 21

For once, Bond takes a more subtle approach to the house, staying low with his gun in front of him, glancing around for any sort of security system. Thankfully, he isn't police, so he has a bit more leeway when it comes to things like this. Still, he stays out of sight as he moves around the building, finding an open window to slip into. The house inside is nearly bare, but there are sounds of life from the sitting room. He follows the sound, checking rooms as he goes. And after he determines that they are all in the living room, he mumbles. "Five, sitting room, southwest corner of the house. Guns in sight. Shoot to disable, we need information. I'm going upstairs to find Q." It's just loud enough to be heard by his mic.

Moving on down the hallway and toward where he saw some stairs, Bond checks around briefly for a moment as he hears the other agents breach the house, a few gunshots that definitely come from the MI6 issue guns before he heads upstairs, starting to check the rooms. He finds two people in one of the rooms, neither of them Q, and when guns start to be aimed in his direction, he dispatches both of them before the guns can come up halfway. One shot for each, Q would approve that he didn't waste ammunition, Bond muses as he checks them for ID, leaving their wallets open on their chests for the cleanup crew before he goes to the next room. The second to last he finds is locked and he hesitates for a moment. "If there's anyone inside this door, I suggest you get well away from it in the next five seconds." He announces before he takes a step back from the door. Calmly, he counts to five and then steps forward and kicks the door open sharply, gun up as he enters the room.

Having moved away from the door and lifted one arm to shield his face, Q sighs a little in frustration as he looks over at Bond. "Was that strictly necessary? You could have picked the lock, unless your skills in that area are worse than I anticipated. Which means I may need to schedule you for some refresher courses." He says calmly, keeping his slightly injured wrist closer to his body as he watches the agent, glancing him over for a few moments. "I do hope you didn't kill all of the people in this house. It's a rather sloppy job, but we have bigger problems." he says as he looks at the agent, taking a few steps forward toward him, really wanting to get out of the way.

"I was going for expediency. I had no idea if you were injured, possibly tortured." Bond says with a sigh, glancing him over. "Good to see that you're alright. They must be real amateurs, if someone like you can escape the bonds." He says as he glances behind Q to where the chair is. "Can the bigger problems wait until we get out and back to HQ, or do you have to tell me now?" he asks, a little antsy to get Q out and someplace safe.

"They weren't after me, Bond. They were after Alec. They mistook me for him, saw him leaving the house this morning." Q says simply as he looks at the older man in front of him. "We have to find him, and bring him back. I need to know what it is a restaurateur could be doing which would attract this kind of attention." He says as he watches Bond, very worried about his twin, having been wracking his brain for everything while he was locked up in this room.

For a few moments Bond just stare sat Q, blinking a few times and then he nods. "Let's get you back to MI6 and checked out." he says before he touches his earpiece. "I've got Q, he's mobile and unharmed. We're coming out." Before he nods to Q and heads downstairs, gun still out in front of him just in case until they get outside and then he puts his gun away before he takes Q by the arm to make sure he can't escape and walks him over to the car, opening the door to let the younger man get in before he closes his eyes for a moment, walking over to the driver's side and getting in. "Call your brother." He says as he pulls out his cell phone and hands it to Q.

Nodding, Q takes the phone, dialing with one hand before he lifts it to his ear, sighing a little as he listens to it ring, frowning for a few moments before he says, "Alec, it's.. Damien." he hesitates over the name since he's not used to calling himself that anymore. "Call me back at this number as soon as you get this. Mine is broken." He says before he hangs up, looking over at Bond, very concerned now. "It went straight to voicemail."

Shaking his head for a few moments as he starts driving back to headquarters, James looks over at Q briefly. "This is going to be a difficult question, Q. Restaurant owners don't necessarily have to spend all their time at their restaurant. Could it be possible that he works for the government? Double life? I mean, you are twins, and you're certainly capable of it. I imagine he's fairly intelligent, just like you are." He says as he glances over at his friend again for a moment.

This is not something that Q had ever considered about his brother, but then he's been somewhat open with his twin about his own place in the government. At least that that's where he worked and he can't really talk about anything else that goes on. But that's not the case, especially with spies, there are some that have families that they lie to about their jobs. While he doesn't know any of the double-ohs that are in that situation, there are other MI6 agents that he knows of who are in that situation. And while he processes this, Q stares straight ahead, finally opening his mouth, pausing and then speaking. "I hadn't ever considered it, no. We don't talk as much as we used to. It makes it hard because I can't talk about my job very much. To answer the other question, yes, he is as clever as I am. But instead of technology and code, he puts it toward business. Statistics." he explains as he glances over at James. "If he is a government agent, it is recent. I've been to his restaurants, they are rather good, and when I joined MI6, they did a background check on my entire family. So I know the restaurant was real."

"That was clever, you know. The message you sent me from your phone when it was broken. Interesting SOS. Only you would think up something like that." James says with a little chuckle before he nods a little. "So, we get you patched up, get your statement, etc, all that paperwork that you love to do so much. And if we still can't get a hold of your brother, we'll go to the restaurant and find out if he's there." he offers as he continues to look at the road, driving quickly through the city to get to someplace safe, this having made him a little nervous about leaving Q alone.

Turning his head to stare out the window as the city zooms by, Q nods a little. "That sounds good. Thank you, Bond. Perhaps our search will have to wait until tomorrow, it's later than I thought it was." he admits as he glances up at the sky, sighing a little. "I'm worried about him, James." he admits in a softer, more vulnerable tone.

Considering this for a few moments, James sighs a little, tightening his grip on the steering wheel, glancing at the brunette once again before he refocuses on the road. "I know, Q. I know."

* * *

**This is getting exciting! What could Q's twin be doing? I'll figure that out in the next few chapters. :D Hope you all enjoy where this is going, I am enjoying writing the twists this is taking, it seems like every time I write a new chapter I find myself on another windy road! I've never written a story like this before, but I think it's working well so far, thank you for sticking with me.**

**Reviews/comments welcome, as always!**


	22. Chapter 22

The rest of the drive back to MI6 is relatively silent besides the slight sound of London traffic and the purr of the Aston Martin's engine. To say that they had tightened security in the building would be an understatement. Though Bond and Q are quickly cleared through and brought to the infirmary where the brunette is subjected to a full physical examination.

When Q is released, he has a small brace on his wrist which keeps his wrist still but doesn't restrict his finger movement, allowing him to type, albeit a little awkwardly. While that was his only major injury, he has a small bandage around his other wrist from where he pulled against his bindings, and a few minor scrapes and bruises which have been cleaned and such.

"We need to speak to M." Q says as he looks over at the agent who is leaning against the door and seems to have become his self-appointed bodyguard.

"We have an appointment." Bond reassures as he pushes away from the wall, looking the younger man over before reaching out to pick up his forearm, his free hand supporting Q's hand by the fingertips. "Nothing serious?" He asks in a carefully guarded hopeful tone as he looks from the bandaged wrist to the Quartermaster's eyes.

Shaking his head for a moment yet letting himself be manhandled, Q watches Bond closely for a few moments. "No, nothing serious. Merely a sprain I attained whilst breaking out of my bonds. I do hope I get that sweater back however, it was one of my favorites." He says quietly in a mourning tone for a few moments.

"You and those bloody jumpers." James grumbles for a few moments before he moves away, dropping Q's arm and leading the way to the elevator before jabbing the button once. "You've got about twenty of them, surely you can get another." He says as he looks back at the young genius.

Following the agent because he really has no choice, Q runs a hand through his hair, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Really, James. Is this the time to be discussing my choice of clothing? We weren't all born wearing designer clothing you know." he says as he looks the other man over. "Honestly. I was shocked the first time I saw you in workout clothes. I thought for sure everything you owned had a price tag that could have bought out my first apartment building." He says, slightly amused but shaking his head for a few moments.

"And I thought you were an android for a while." James retorts as he steps into the elevator when the doors finally open. "We both found out something new, then." Waiting for Q to get into the elevator, he presses the button for the floor that M's office is on, glancing at the camera for a moment before sliding his hands into his pockets casually.

The conversation did achieve one thing, and that is that it settled Q's mind a bit, focused him a little more so he can think about the matter at hand and prepare what to tell M. "Thank you, James." He says after a moment, considering whether or not to explain that, but figuring that if the agent can't figure it out, then he'll ask, or just let himself keep wondering. Either way, he got his message across and he's just going to leave it that way.

The worrying is for nothing since James seems to get the message, smirking a little and giving Q a sharp, single nod, stepping forward and out of the elevator when it gets to the proper floor, glancing around as he leads Q toward M's office, walking straight in so apparently they are expected.

When the doors close behind the two, M turns from where he was at his sideboard, holding three tumblers of brandy by the looks of it. "I thought you might be in need of this, Q. You've had a hard day." He says as he holds one out toward the young man, then gives one to Bond and keeps one for himself. "We've had a rather difficult few days, haven't we? And it seems it's just getting worse. When you were promoted to Q, naturally your family was thoroughly investigated. We didn't find anything that would raise any flags, so whatever is going on must be a recent development." The pleasantries don't last long, the state of affairs not lending itself to coddling in M's mind, so he gets right down to business.

Accepting the brandy, Q takes a drink and then nods, looking down into his glass. "Yes. I haven't spoken with Alec for some time. But it was quite obvious the amateurs were after him, not me. They spoke about something that he had, that they wanted or were supposed to give to them. This indicates that they have spoken with him before but when he visited he didn't mention anything of the sort." He then snorts as he remembers something his captor said, snickering a little. "It seems that they believed Alec was visiting his secret lover once they saw Bond enter the house." he says with a slight smirk over at the other man.

Having been taking a drink of his brandy at just the right time, it catches Bond off-guard enough that he snorts, then coughs a little into his glass, coughing once or twice before he clears his throat. "Well. That's interesting. Also it's very good. For them to be stupid enough not to realize the truth. Your brother is rather happily married, isn't he?" he asks as he looks at Q for a few moments.

"I can't reach him on his cellphone, but when we spoke, yes, he was rather happily married.." Q says with a little smirk over at Bond again for a few moments, finishing his brandy and placing the glace on M's desk with gentle precision.

Taking in the interaction as well as the information to determine the health of his agents, M nods quietly. "We have to find your brother. I think it would be best if we handle this discreetly. From what I understand, you two are identical. The last thing we need is someone saying something indiscreet to your brother and causing an even bigger debacle." he says with a shake of his head and a small sigh.

Q chuckles a little as he remembers the pranks that he and his brother used to pull, before he nods. "Yes, sir. We are identical, if you dress us the same and I wear contacts. My brother got his eyesight fixed a long time ago. I was never comfortable with the odds, and considering blindness would put me out of a job that I love.. well. You can see my reasoning I'm sure." he says as he adjusts his glasses for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling a bit exposed in his dress shirt and tie without his jumper. "I agree we should handle this discreetly, sir. The agreement I had with the old M was that to the outside world, I would be dead. Every record, dead stop. Nothing that could be traced back to me. I wish that to remain the case, I don't want to put my relatives in danger, even if I don't have many to speak of." He says firmly, glancing at James nervously, mostly because the older man seems to be learning more and more about him recently and it's a little unnerving.

Considering the implications of that, Bond stares at Q for a moment, finishing his drink and setting the empty tumbler down on the desk a little more roughly before he finally speaks. "Bloody hell, the last thing we need is those two switching places and causing all sort of chaos."

* * *

**The plot thickens! Thank you for all sticking with me, I just wanted to say that like all of my other stories, I'm going to start updating once a week, probably Tuesdays, probably starting next week since my work schedule is hectic this week. But there will be lots more to come! I think updating once a week will let me do slightly longer chapters and better chapters for you all, so I hope you'll be happy with the results. I just have too many stories going to update them all more quickly. And for those of you who read my other stories, sorry for being repetitive, but I want to make sure all my various people know my new plan. :)**

**I hope that you enjoy everything so far, let me know what you think!**

**Reviews/comments very welcome!**


	23. Chapter 23

The thought of Q and his brother Alec switching places actually makes M pause, both because for some reason he wouldn't put it past his Quartermaster, but also because he can imagine exactly how much trouble that might cause. Of course, the idea of the minions finding out their boss has been replaced and revolting actually makes him chuckle a little. "Indeed. I believe if your staff ever found out you had been replaced they might start testing your brother to see if someone had tried to clone you, and if so, just how they had managed it." he says with another light chuckle as he thinks about that. "So keep that in mind if the thought had crossed your mind, Q." he says warningly as he finishes his drink as well and takes the three tumblers over to the side bar to be cleaned up later.

"Indeed. My staff are well trained enough that they would know the difference between Alec and I. I would never put him in that sort of danger." Q says in an affronted way, as if offended that either of them would think he would do such a thing. "I also would not jeopardize our security or the safety of those in this building, M." He says a little more seriously, in the face of the two older, amused men in front of him. "Now, if we could get back the matter at hand, sir, I believe this is a bit time sensitive, especially when whoever is running this operation hears that their kidnapping went awry. And if they figure out that my rescuers were government operatives, it may cause a bit more trouble for my brother, something that I had not considered before." He sighs, blaming himself for that. Because as brilliant as he is, he didn't think everything all the way through. Of course, he also didn't anticipate being mistaken for his twin brother, or for Alec to be involved in something shady.

"Come now, Q. We all must have a sense of humor in the worst of times." James says with a little smirk. "I am sure M will make all the necessary arrangements, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back to the house until we have this sorted. We need someplace they won't know to look for you, or Alec." he says firmly as he turns his body more fully toward Q, slipping his hands into his pockets casually, taking up a comfortable, non-threatening stance. He's gotten to know the younger man a little over the last few days and he knows when to try to intimidate him and when to back off. This is the time not to push Q too hard or he might just go off on his own.

Glancing him over for a few moments, Q sighs a little and looks away from the agent to M instead, before his eyes flicker back toward Bond. Adjusting his glasses, the young brunette finally nods once. "Fine. Alright. I suppose you have a bit more experience in this than me, 007. I leave my brother's safety to you. I trust you will do your best to bring him in uninjured and without destroying his livelihood. I can stay here at MI6 until the matter is resolved, my couch is rather comfortable and if need be I can sleep on one of the bunks in the dormitory or the beds in the infirmary. Though I'm not sure why we have the bunks for the agents when none of them stay in the building long enough to visit medical much less crash here between missions." He notes as he gives one of those agents a hard look for a moment.

"Then it's settled." M interrupts as he looks between the two, knowing when it's time to reign in his staff before it becomes a cat fight. "Q will stay here until this matter is resolved or until his brother is found. Bond, I trust you can retrieve some of Q's clothing and essentials from the house to bring them here. I would rather you go alone, it would not be suspicious since they obviously already know you live there, they just don't understand the role Q plays. I will organize a retrieval team in the meantime to find the whereabouts of Q's brother and to retrieve him once found. It will be a small team, and once they find Alec, then you will join them, 007. It will be best if there is a familiar face there." He decides with a small nod of his head as he looks between the two for a few moments. "Let's get this handled and settled. Then we can get back to being secure again." he says in a firm tone before he sits down in his office chair and watches the two, a clear dismissal.

With a small nod, James reaches out and turns Q toward the door without giving the genius time to respond, "Yes, sir." he says before he pokes Q in the back until he starts walking, opening the door for the younger man - something that earns him a glare - and waiting for him to go through before he glances back at M for a moment and follows his friend. Once the door is shut behind him he sighs. "You need to tell me more about Alec. What he does for a living, who his family is, where he lives. I need to know as much as you do if I'm going to have any chance of finding him or bringing him home safely, Q." he says seriously as he stands outside the elevator.

Removing his glasses for a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose before he pulls a cleaning cloth from his pocket to clean the lenses, Q looks over at James and nods. "Very well, but we need to get someplace secure. My office is the closest place I know of, I have protocols in place to make it the most secure room in the building if I need to. Except perhaps for M's office." he says simply as he steps into the elevator and turns once inside to face the doors again, sharp eyes watching the agent as he replaces his glasses and tucks the cleaning cloth back into his pocket.

Once they exit the elevator, Q leads the way to the branch, ignoring most of the minions except for a spare nod, they all keep to their work and while R gives them a curious look, he knows that if he's needed Q will call on him, and if he's looking that serious with 007 in tow, something big is happening.

After stepping into Q's office, James shuts the door behind him and takes the liberty of hitting the buttons beside the door that both lock it and make the glass windows and door opaque before he undoes the buttons on his jacket and walks over to sit on the couch, spreading his arms along the back on either side and crossing his legs. He's the very picture of relaxation but at the same time he gives off the impression of being a tiger tensed and ready to jump at any moment.

While the double-oh is getting himself settled, Q goes to his computer and hits a few keys. "My apologies to whatever security crews will be upset by me turning off the surveillance.." he says as he turns on his own security protocols which effectively isolates his office from the building and keeps anyone from listening in. He runs a hand through his hair then and goes over to a cabinet, opening it with a key and pulling out two glasses and a nice bottle of Scotch, placing it on the coffee table before pouring a glass for each of them. "I'm going to need this, and it would be rude not to share with someone who can appreciate it." He says with a little bit of amusement as he hands the second glass to Bond.

"Right. Now tell me about your brother. I didn't see him much. You two are twins, obviously. Both genius', though from what I gather he runs a restaurant or a chain of restaurants or something?" James asks, taking the glass with a small nod, then taking a sip, eyebrows going up at the smooth and complex flavor that only comes with really good Scotch.

"Well. I might as well start from the beginning." Q says as he sits on the other end of the couch and leans back. "We did not come from a very rich family. But we had each other. Like most identical twins, we stuck together, had our own language, pulled pranks on people. I was always more introverted though. I preferred computers and code. Alec spent more time with other people, and with our mum as we got older. He learned to cook, and realized he loved food. He was good with numbers, and so decided to open a restaurant. Wanted to do it with me but I had no interest in it, I thought it would be boring." He admits, glancing at James before sipping his scotch. "Anyway, we went to Uni.. you know some of what happened to me, I went to America, Alec stayed here. We grew apart a bit after that, Alec started his first restaurant a few years ago and it took off. He's got two or three now I think.. Met a lovely woman in University call Catherine. Everyone calls her Cat. Married her two years ago. I did go to the wedding. She is one of the few people who could tell us apart instantly. We used to joke that we would marry the first person that could tell us apart. Well, it was a joke for more than one reason, considering it became clear when we were younger that we had a difference in preferences." He says as he looks around his office for a few moments.

"Ah.. yes, I understand. It's easy to tell the two of you apart if you know one of you well enough." James says casually as he sips his drink and watches the younger man like a hawk, judging his thoughts on the different parts of his story by his expressions, even if he keeps the mostly locked down, the double-oh has learned to read the subtle nuances in his Quartermaster's expression. "Not so much when you're drunk." He notes with a small shrug of his shoulders, looking down into his glass and swirling the amber liquid around for a moment.

"Yes, you did figure it out right away, didn't you? To the point that you thought he was an imposter.." Q laughs a little as he tilts his head back to rest on the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling, resting the glass on his knee with his hand over the top to keep it in place. "He was rather shocked about that by the way. He didn't know that I wouldn't tell you about him. Of course, he said when he first figured out that you thought he was me, he was just going to play along, and see what he could do, you know? It's the kind of crap that we used to pull when we were younger, to teachers, girlfriends, friends.." He trails off and smiles fondly as he stares at the ceiling, only lifting his head to finish the liquid in his glass and then place it on the coffee table before he relaxes back for a moment. Slowly, he lifts his uninjured hand up in front of him, examining the back of it, watching the trembling of his fingers. "Bloody hell. Apparently I was affected a bit more than I thought by the kidnapping.." he says as he shakes his hand out a little, flexing it before he holds it out in front of him, frowning as he watches it continue to tremble, finally lowering it to rest it on his leg.

Sighing a little and finally sitting up, James puts his glass on the small coffee table before he reaches over and puts his hand on top of Q's. "It's natural, Q. If you were really unaffected, I would be a bit worried." he admits with a slight smirk. "You aren't made for field work. That's why you're our Quartermaster, not a double-oh." he says quietly, though obviously believes that whatever it is, Q would excel in it. With another soft smile, he gives Q's hand a light squeeze. "I know it's been a long day, but I need to know everything. Let's focus on the last two years, what can you tell me about Alec and Catherine? Any kids? Any trouble?" he asks as he watches the younger man's face.

Coming back to himself, Q nods a little but doesn't remove his hand from the comforting weight of James'. "No, no kids, though they have been trying. We haven't really talked a lot in the last few years. And that is the problem, I suppose. I got too wrapped up in my own world to know what's going on with him." he says with a small sigh, shaking his head for a few moments before he rest sit back against the back of the couch so he can stare at the ceiling somewhat. "Does that make me a horrible brother, James?"

Squeezing Q's hand again for a few moments to give him some little comfort, Bond shakes his head slowly but definitively. "No. I don't think that makes you a horrible brother, Q. It's not bad when people's lives make them drift apart. He was busy with his restaurants and you were busy saving the country." he says with a small smirk. "There is nothing to be ashamed of there. You have been doing good work here, Q. Who knows how many lives you've saved. Not only of the general public, but I for one know that you saved me more than a few times by watching over me on a mission. Or because of your careful research beforehand." He says in a rare moment of honesty, keeping his voice soft and gentle as he watches the fragile man in front of him. "I think you need to get some rest, Q. I've got everything I need." Patting the brunette's hand for a moment, James finally stands up, putting the scotch back in Q's cabinet and cleaning out the glasses in the sink he has stashed in a cupboard, before he puts them away as well. "Get some rest, I'll call your office phone if there is any news."

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**Posting once a week has given me a chance to make longer chapters, so I hope they will be better and richer than the ones I've posted before. Also, I hope about double the length of the others, lol. :) And I know it's just barely into Tuesday, but I doubt any of you will mind if I post a little early, right? I hope you continue to enjoy this as the plot thickens, I'm not used to writing this many twists and turns so I hope I don't botch anything up or pack in too much for you guys to follow. Or for me to keep track of, lol. I hope I will be able to tie everything together soon. But how will I top this little bit of intrigue? I'm sure I'll think of something! Thank you for everyone who has stuck with this story, and to all my reviewers who are wonderful. I look forward to hearin what you think about this chapter!**

**Reviews/comments welcome!**


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